Emrys Revealed
by camelotgirl1
Summary: Arthur and his knights are captured by Morgana and only one person can save them. Emrys! When Merlin's magic is revealed to Arthur and Morgana, how will they react and what will unfold from there? Hope you enjoy! No slash, just friendship. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! So this is my first fanfic. I love reading them and I thought I should try to write one on my own. I had this idea bouncing around in my head and I couldn't get it out so I thought why not give it a try? Merlin is my favorite show ever and I'm so sad that it's over. This story takes place during season 5. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin and never will. (sigh)**

Emrys Revealed

"So brother, we meet again." Said Morgana, looking down at Arthur.

"What do you want with me Morgana?" he said looking defiantly up at her.

She let out a cruel laugh that chilled Arthur to the bone.

How had this happened? He thought. One minute he was laughing with his knights about something Gwaine said, the next fighting for his life against Saxons.

Earlier that day he had been notified about a terrifying beast attacking the western border and killing innocent people. Arthur, not being one to stand aside and watch his people die, assembled his best knights and rode out after it. They had stopped to eat and feed their horses at the end of a full days ride. They still had half a day to go and most of the knights were feeling grim about their chances against this beast. Not Gwaine though, it was rare that Gwaine was grim about anything.

After sending Merlin away to get some firewood (the servant in question thankfully had not been captured) Gwaine preceded to tell them a hilarious story about a farmer he met in a pub to get everyone's spirits up. While they'd been distracted Saxons, who were apparently under Morgana's command, killed their horses and attacked the knights. These knights were Camelot's finest and could normally hold their own in a fight, but this time they were drastically outnumbered and didn't stand a chance. The Saxons blindfolded and gagged them, then proceeded to bring them to this godforsaken castle in this godforsaken wasteland.

Arthur and his knights were forced to their knees in what could only be called a throne room; everything was so rundown it was hard to tell but Arthur thought he could make out what might be a throne at the end of the room. Then Morgana appeared, looking more rundown than the castle and drastically different than when Arthur saw her last. All except for her eyes. They still held that same hatred. Hatred for Arthur, hatred for his father, and hatred for Camelot. To Arthur it looked as if she'd gone insane and, well, maybe she had.

"What do you want with me?" he asked again, even though by now he had a pretty good idea.

Morgana would stop at nothing to have the throne of Camelot and he was the only person standing in her way. Well, him and the hundreds of other people in Camelot that would never follow her. And that wasn't even taking into consideration all his knights, and Gaius, and Gwen, and Merlin.

Oh Merlin, Arthur thought. He hoped that bumbling idiot had realized what had happened by now and gone for help but, knowing Merlin's track record, he'd probably come busting in here any minute, claiming he could save them all. Actually, Arthur did tend to get out of sticky situations whenever Merlin was at his side. Far more than before that idiot had arrived. It's like Merlin was his own personal good luck charm. It's not like Merlin was actually saving them by himself. Was he?

But that's a mystery for another time, Arthur thought. Right now I have more important things to deal with.

"I want to kill you Arthur." Morgana said.

Just like I thought, Arthur said to himself.

"But first,"

Wait there's more? Arthur hadn't predicted anything else, but since this was Morgana whatever it was could not be good.

"I'm going to have a little fun." She finished, pulling a knife out of her dress.

Yup, definitely not good.

"Now where is that troublesome servant, _Mer_lin?"

"Not here." Arthur said his voice full of relief.

Morgana smirked like she didn't believe him, but then looked around and to her dismay, realized that Arthur was telling the truth.

"Pity." Morgana finally said, after she inspected every face, just to make sure. "I would have liked to torture him in front of you. That's a shame."

For the first time ever, Arthur was very glad it took Merlin forever to actually complete a job like collecting firewood.

"Find him!" Morgana suddenly yelled to the Saxons in the room. "He and my brother are almost inseparable. He must have been near the camp, he couldn't have gotten far. Find him and bring him to me. Alive."

Arthur's blood went cold.

Morgana knelt down and looked him in the eye. "They will find him." She whispered menacingly. "And when they do, I will make sure to cause him unimaginable pain, until he begs for death, and then I will kill him, right in front of you. After him, I will do the same thing to each one of your knights, then to your precious Guinevere, then to anybody else in Camelot who defies me."

"Then you will have no kingdom left to rule."

"Oh, I think I will, after they all see what I am capable of. Your people will be so scared of me, they will have to concede."

"The people will never lose their loyalty to me."

"They might, when all they see you do is watch, watch as their neighbors and friends and families suffer, powerless to do nothing but watch as your kingdom falls. Then, and only then, will I finally kill you. Then again, you will probably go insane long before that time comes; being powerless to help those you love."

"How did you become like this?" Arthur asked, marveling at the woman who used to be one of his closest friends.

"Like what?" she asked, clearly enjoying this.

"This monster. How did you become this-this shell of your former self."

"'Shell of my former self.' I quite like that actually. Very poetic. You know, it's funny you should ask me that question."

"Why? Why is it so funny?" Arthur asked, stalling. Stalling for what he didn't know. He had no plan, no way out. For the first time in his life, Arthur felt completely helpless.

"It's funny because, it's not me you should be asking that question to."

"Who Morgana? Who should I ask?"

"Shush Arthur. I'm bored of the question game now. I know you're only using it to stall for time. I don't know why though. Camelot's not expecting you to return for days and Merlin won't make it back to alert them." Her eyes glittered menacingly.

"Now, which one should I hurt first?" She said, walking down the row of knights. "Why don't you choose Arthur?" She turned to look at him.

"I won't."

"Yes, you will." She said, smiling that evil smile of hers.

"No, I won't."

"Awww," she said, cocking her head. "Still stalling for time, aren't we, King Arthur. Still hoping someone will save you. Sadly even the great Emrys can't find you here."

"Emyrs?" Arthur asked, not just stalling but actually interested this time.

"Yes Emrys. _The_ Emrys." At Arthur's unchanging blank look, she, in an annoyed voice, said, "You know, the warlock Emrys: your great protector."

"A warlock? Protecting me? In Camelot?"

At Morgana's nod he said "But there are no sorcerers in Camelot. There's a law, remember. It's what drove you away from me in the first place."

"Oh he's in Camelot all right." She said. "I only wish I knew where or how or who- I wish I at least knew something more."

"You don't know who he is then?" Arthur asked.

"No, no I don't." She said bitterly, coming to stand in front of him. "But I will find him, and I will destroy him. _You_ don't know who he is, do you?" She said that last part with such venom and malice that if Arthur did know, which he didn't, he would have known better than to say yes.

"No I don't." Arthur said, shaking his head.

She looked at him for a few seconds, then decided he was telling the truth and said, "He would be someone you and me both know. Someone who's concealed their magic from both of us. Someone who's had enough opportunity to protect you. Someone who would be the last person you would expect. Someone-"

"Like me?" A voice behind Morgana said.

Morgana slowly turned and Arthur slowly stood to stare at the source of the voice.

There, sitting on the throne behind them looking quite relaxed, sat Merlin.

**A/N: Ahhhhh! What will happen next? How will everyone react? Please review and let me know your predictions and your thoughts about this chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: WOW! Guys thank you so much for this fantastic feedback I received. This is my first fanfic and I never dreamed of this many people liking the story on just the first chapter. That means a lot to me. To all those who reviewed/followed/favorite this story: The world is a better place with you in it. I got this chapter up quick just for you guys. **

**This chapter: I'm not completely sure how I feel about this chapter. There are some parts I like and some I don't. By the way, Merlin may be a bit OOC in this chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Maybe someday I will own Merlin...oh, who am I kidding I do not own Merlin and never will.**

Emrys Revealed

Everything else around Arthur faded until all he could see was that rundown throne and the skinny boy, the person he trusted most in the world, sitting in it. Arthur was pretty sure he said something brilliant like "Huh?", but it was drowned out by Morgana's yell of outrage.

"What! This must be some trick!_ Mer_lin could not be Emrys! That's completely impossible, that's-" but she stopped, seeing the look on Merlin's face.

He had cocked his head to the side, looking at her sympathetically. "Aw, poor Morgana. Always so close to the truth, yet so far."

Morgana looked stunned for a minute, apparently seeing the servant she once thought was a persistant idiot act like this shocked her beyond belief, but she composed herself. "I will deal with you later. Right now I have to adjust to a little change in plans." She gripped the hilt of her knife and advanced toward Arthur, who was so stunned at what was happening that he couldn't move. "I think I will kill your precious prince right now."

"Oh I don't think you will." Merlin said and before Morgana could even react, he flicked his hand and the knife slipped out of her grasp and skidded across the floor.

"You see Morgana," Merlin continued, still sitting at ease in the throne, "my job is already hard as is. I have to protect King Arthur, protect Camelot, protect the dragons, and protect the balance of life and death. You can see why some people call me the Protector. I do not need you, with your hate and your blindness to all things good and your dark magic," Merlin's voice was getting louder now, he was yelling at her, "to mess everything up, everything I've been working for!"

"Everything you've been working for?!" Morgana screamed as she whirled around to stare at him, her green eyes more full of madness and hate than ever before. "And what is that exactly? Don't you see what you've done? You have been protecting people who would kill you if they knew what you were. They are the reason we live in fear! They have killed thousands of innocent men, women, and children who were our kin! Do you honestly believe you can change all that? All any of them will be able to see is the darkness in magic; they'll never believe anything you say. All _I've_ been working for is to help magic become free again and you have been stopping me over and over. You are a disgrace to those who practice the Old Religion!"

He was sitting up straight in the throne now, looking Morgana in the eye. "I'm a disgrace? _I'm _a disgrace!? Do you really think that all this killing and kidnapping and war that you've been doing will really help people see the good in magic!? Really!? Is that what you're thinking!? Because if it is then I'm sorry Morgana but I really don't follow your madness. Where do you think any of that will get you? All I've ever done is tried to use magic for good, to help people, to protect people."

"And those people you protect will chop your head off, now that they know the truth. Do you really think that my dear brother will care about _how _you use your magic? All that matters is the fact that you have it, and people will hate you for it. People will hate your magic; they will believe you are a monster. No one in Camelot will agree to welcome magic back. That's why we should rid the world of those beasts, the ones that kill innocents."

"I don't try to kill every person I come across that doesn't agree with me, like you do! I try to help them, to make them see the good in the world. Honestly Morgana? I don't think there's any hope left for you. All you use your magic for is evil! _You_ are a disgrace to those you practice the Old Religion!"

Merlin stood up now; livid. "And for your information, yes, I am Emrys. I'm not some stupid servant that you can stomp all over, you understand me!?"

Suddenly something caught Arthur's eye. He had been so focused on Merlin's rant and the fact that Merlin was even _here,_ that he hadn't noticed a man that was sneaking up behind Merlin. The man had his sword out and looked as if he was going to plunge it into Merlin's side while he was distracted by yelling at Morgana.

Should I warn him? Arthur thought to himself. Yes, you should he's your friend, one part of him said. But he's a traitor, the other part said. Just when you thought he was the only person you trusted who had never betrayed you, he goes and does this.

Suddenly Arthur was filled with such venom at his friend that he started to shake with rage. How could he! Arthur thought. After all we've done together, after all we've been through, how could he betray me like that! I thought he was my friend, but I guess he's really not!

_But does he deserve to die?_ A small voice in the back of his head said.

The man was now right behind Merlin, about to plunge his sword into the warlock's body as Merlin continued to talk. "I blame myself for what happened to you but this has gone on too lo- Don't even think about it!" Merlin suddenly yelled, holding his hand up in a stop signal to the man with the sword. The man's eyes filled with fear and he scuttled away, dropping his sword in the process.

I guess there was no need for me to warn him then, Arthur thought bitterly. Apparently he already knows everything.

"Morgana, I want to end this." Merlin said, seemingly unfazed by the murder attempt. He had now stopped yelling and was fighting to keep his voice calm. He started walking down the stairs that elevated the throne. "You and me, right here. No swords, no knives, no secrets, just magic. This could end with me dead, or end with you dead, or end with both of us dead, or end with both of us walking away, but however it ends, it ends tonight."

"It ends now Emrys." Morgana said, agreeing. "But I can tell you this." She took a step closer to Merlin. "I have been thwarted by you time and time again but this time, I will _**not**_ allow you to be my doom. And I am sure of one thing: This will not end with both of us walking away; I will make sure of that."

Merlin nodded solemnly. "I wanted to try and help you Morgana but if this is the only way things can be between us, then so be it."

Throughout this entire time, Merlin never once looked at Arthur. But now his friend's eyes flicked towards him, full of pain and sadness and regret. "Go Arthur." He said. It was an order, plain and simple. If this was any other time, any other day, any other circumstance, Arthur might have said something about not taking orders from his servant, but right now he couldn't seem to get his mouth to work. He just nodded and looked at his men.

They were staring, stunned at Merlin and what he was, but at Merlin's order and Arthur's look, they got up and started heading out the door. They all left and Arthur started to follow them, but stopped to look back at the man he once thought to be his friend.

Merlin looked straight into his eyes and Arthur could see all the feelings that Merlin was hiding behind his impassive face. Pain, anger, regret, sorrow, fear, and even a small bit of hope. Hope that Arthur might somehow forgive him. Arthur just shook his head; he didn't think he could ever forgive him. Not after this. He saw the last of the hope leave Merlin's eyes. "Goodbye Arthur." Merlin said. "And I'm sorry. I truly am."

Arthur just turned back around without saying a word and left the room. As he walked down the corridor toward the front gate he heard Morgana laugh and say "You honestly thought he'd forgive you, after you betrayed him like that?"

Arthur headed out of the castle and toward the forest where his knights stood, Morgana's cruel laugh echoing in his ears.

**A/N: Man I need to have some choice words with Arthur Pendragon.**

**I wrote him this way because everyone he really trusted betrayed him and with Merlin I don't think he would be so quick to forgive. I know everyone wants to see Arthur's reaction to Merlin using epic magic, so will Arthur forgive in time? The epic magic battle between Merlin and Morgana may happen in the next chapter or the one after but don't get me wrong, it will happen!**

**Review and let me know you if you have any thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, random outbursts :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for all the great responses to this story that I am receiving! To whomever reviewed/followed/favorite: You are awesome! **

**This chapter is more of a, well I don't want to say filler chapter because that would make this chapter sound non-important and it is important, so I'll say it's more of a segueing chapter. To get ready for the big stuff. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Merlin. Depressing, right?**

Emrys Revealed

Arthur walked down the dirt path that led away from the Saxon's castle, replaying what happened in the throne room over and over in his brain.

How could he have been so stupid? He knew everyone he trusted had betrayed him. He should have known Merlin's friendship was too good to be true.

_But what if he really was your friend? What if he really did use his magic to protect you, like he said? _Asked the little voice in the back of Arthur's head.

That can't be true! Arthur thought back. If I have learned one thing from my father, it was that sorcerers are evil and should not be trusted, and I have put my trust in a sorcerer all these years. No wonder my father was always so disappointed in me. I'm always too trusting. Well, I've learned my lesson now, and I _never_ want to see Merlin's face again!

The sting of Merlin's revealed secret was so much for Arthur to bear that he probably would have broken down crying right there if his knights hadn't been waiting for him.

Arthur met his knights about two leagues out of the castle. He expected them to be a bit shaken up by what happened and what they had discovered. He expected them to be angry at Merlin. What he did not expect, however, was for them to be angry at _him._

He rounded a bend in the road and saw them camped out underneath the trees. He walked toward them with his head hanging down and about jumped out of his skin when he heard Gwaine yell, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Arthur looked up and saw all of his knights staring at him.

"What do you mean?" Arthur said, bewildered.

"Merlin. Arthur Pendragon how could you?" Gwaine said crossing his arms and shooting a death glare at Arthur.

Oh no, Arthur thought. My knights think I knew about his treachery. They'll never trust me again. They think I've been hiding that from them all this time.

"I swear I didn't know. I just found out. I didn't know he was a traitor."

"That's not what I meant." Gwaine said, furious. Arthur had never seen the happy-go-lucky Gwaine this mad in his life. "I meant; Arthur Pendragon how could you leave Merlin in there alone with Morgana? What the hell are you doing just standing there?"

Gwaine took another step forward and pointed his finger in Arthur's face. "And don't you dare call him a traitor ever again. Merlin's no more of a traitor then I am."

"Yes he is, he has magic!" Arthur roared. "Therefore it makes him a traitor and don't you _**dare**_ look at me like that Gwaine! I am the King and I will not be treated this way!"

"We have to go back for him!" Gwaine yelled. Suddenly all the knights started talking at once.

"We have to-"

"He'll die-"

All Arthur kept saying was "No. No. No!" but nobody seem to be listening or caring.

"He's our friend-"

"He would do the same-"

"HE IS JUST A SERVANT!" Arthur roared and immediately everyone stopped talking.

Everything was absolutely still for a few moments. Then, in a voice so soft that if everything hadn't been completely silent no one would have heard it, Gwaine said "What did you just say?"

"I said," Arthur said, regaining his composure, "he is just a servant. A traitorous servant at that. If we go back we'll just get ourselves killed."

"What happened to you Arthur?" Gwaine said. "Yesterday you would never have let words like that leave your mouth."

"Oh yea, well yesterday I didn't know that my _best friend _was a traitor." Arthur was so worked up that he couldn't even begin to feel embarrassed for calling Merlin his best friend. All that he was feeling right now was anger. Anger at Merlin, anger at his knights, and even anger at himself for not seeing this sooner. "Do not go back for Merlin. That is an order."

"I'm disappointed in you Arthur." Leon said. Leon, who had never said one bad word about his king or about Camelot. Leon, who Arthur had known all his life and had never been anything but loyal. Somehow that insult hit Arthur the hardest.

Without another word, Arthur's knights turned away from him and headed back toward the rundown castle, completely disregarding his orders. Arthur didn't even have the heart to yell at them again.

So he turned away from his knights and started down the road toward Camelot.

A few minutes after he began his return journey, he heard a sound coming from the woods to his right. The sound was voices, many voices, all talking at once.

"I can't find him."

"Where would he go?"

"He's just a silly servant."

"Morgana will not be happy."

"Let's just go back to the castle."

"Agreed."

Suddenly Arthur realized who they were. They were the Saxons that Morgana had sent out to go capture Merlin and bring him to the castle.

No need, Arthur thought. He's already there.

_Yea, he's at the castle. _The voice in the back of his head had returned. _The castle where these Saxons are about to return to! So now Merlin will not only be stuck with Morgana but also with a bunch of bloodthirsty Saxons. If you go back the way you came you could probably get there before these Saxons and maybe help Merlin out a little bit by making sure they never enter the throne room._

But Merlin's a traitor, Arthur thought. I don't want to help him.

_But does he really deserve to die at the hands of the Saxons and Morgana?_

He heard the Saxons begin mounting their horses and start heading toward the rundown castle. If Arthur didn't leave now, he'd never make it there before them.

In that split second, Arthur made his decision.

XXX

Merlin watched Arthur's retreating back as he left the throne room, left him, left the bond they'd shared.

"You honestly thought he'd forgive you, after you betrayed him like that?" Morgana said, laughing. "He doesn't know what you've done, what you've sacrificed for him. But I do." She took a step closer to Merlin.

What the hell is she playing at? Merlin thought.

"I know everything you've done. Every brave deed you've accomplished." She took a step closer and put her hand on his cheek. "Together we could rule Camelot. Together we could rule the world." She stood up higher and started to bring her lips up to his.

Is she trying to- is she going to- oh, that's disgusting! Merlin thought. "I don't think so." Merlin said and he pushed her away before she could get any closer.

"Worth a try." She said shrugging her shoulders. "But I want to ask you one thing before I kill you."

Well then, Merlin said to himself. You could say a lot of things about Morgana but never that she lacked confidence.

"Alright, ask me." Merlin said.

"Why did you poison me?"

Merlin cocked his head again, this time with genuine sympathy. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Well Morgause told me it was because you hated me because I had magic and you didn't, but now I see that's not the case."

"Don't listen to everything Morgause says."

"I can't now, considering the fact that you _killed her._"

"Yeah sorry about that." He said looking at the ground like he was sorry.

Because it's not like he actually is sorry, Morgana thought. Right?

"The reason I poisoned you Morgana, was because if I didn't, the whole of Camelot, including Arthur would have died."

He took a step closer, becoming angry again.

She took a step back; seeing Merlin this way was still a new experience for her.

"You, by teaming up with Morgause, _forced_ me to choose between one of my best friends and the entire kingdom! Do you know how hard that was?!"

"Don't go yelling at me for things I've done wrong!" Morgana countered back. "You could have avoided this entire mess by telling me the truth, but instead you let me believe that I was a freak. Morgause was the only person who offered me a helping hand. So I went to her. _You_ betrayed _me_. I'm sorry Merlin, but I can never forgive you for that." And she took another step back, preparing to fight.

Was it just her imagination or were his eyes glistening with tears. No, no powerful sorcerer could be that weak.

"I'm sorry Morgana." He said, and Morgana saw that she was right; there were tears in his eyes.

Morgana laughed her cruel laugh. If it only took a few words to make him like this, this fight should be an easy win for her.

Oh, how wrong she was.

**A/N: So now the action begins! Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I love writing them. I know they must be hell for you guys though. **

**Quite a few people have asked me for some Mergana in this story. While I am a Mergana shipper myself, I don't think it will fit into this story. I might do some little inferences in the next chapter but no promises.**

**Also I have a very important question! So I have two ways this story should go in my head. I was going to chose one but I thought I'd let you guys vote. The differences in these two versions depends on one thing. So my question is: SHOULD I KILL MORGANA? **

**Please review and let me know your vote and thoughts on this chapter **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello everybody! Sorry I was busy yesterday and I couldn't get this chapter finished, but it's finished now. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and cast in there vote. You guys are great but _seriously_, the votes were literally yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no. Thank you, very helpful ;) So I decided on what to do but you will have to read to find out what it is. To those you reviewed/followed/favorite this story: Thanks a bunches. That's a new phrase I heard somewhere and I was trying it out, Love it? Like it? Hate it? Let me know.**

**And without further ado, the moment you've all been waiting for; the magical showdown!**

Emrys Revealed

Sir Gwaine trudged up the hill leading to the old rundown castle, wanting to get there as quickly as possible, but at the same time, never wanting to arrive.

He had no doubt that Morgana would try to kill them as soon as they arrived, and however much he valued his friends fighting abilities, he knew they were no match for the witch. But he kept on walking, because Merlin needed them; if not to fight than at least for moral support. Merlin needed as much of that as he could get. His greatest friend had left him to die at the hands of the witch Morgana.

Arthur may say that Merlin betrayed him, but personally, Gwaine believed Arthur was the greater traitor. How many times had Merlin stuck by Arthur's side in times of trouble, even though he knew the king would kill him if he ever found out the truth. And now it was the time for Arthur to stand by Merlin, to finally show how much he cared, and what does he do? He finds out one secret then leaves Merlin to fend for himself. There was no betrayal bigger than that.

Gwaine was broken out if his reverie by a question posed by Sir Leon, "So how do we get in?"

"Well, all the guards are out looking for Merlin so no one's left to man the door. I guess we just go in the same way we came out." Gwaine answered.

So their little company walked up to the big front doors of the castle, each with a sense of foreboding about what's to come.

They walked through the entryway and heard voices coming from the throne room. Merlin and Morgana. They came to a stop in front of the doors to the throne room. "Well," Gwaine said. "It's now or never." And he pushed the doors open.

XXX

Merlin was getting ready for what he knew would be the fight of his life. He'd battled goblins, griffins, dragons, even immortals, but this, this evil creature with the face of an old friend, this would be the hardest to face.

She laughed in insane glee, throwing her head back. What was going through her mind he could hardly guess, but all he could think about was that this enemy, this thing, was his entire fault. If only he had not poisoned her….

But it was too late to dwell on what ifs, he knew that much. This was now, this was what was happening, whether Merlin liked it or not. He would fight her, fight for magic, fight for Camelot. After (if there even was an after) he would…well he didn't know what he would do without Arthur. Without Arthur there was no destiny for him, no purpose for his life. It gave Merlin chills to know that one person had that much power over him and his life, and he had thrown it all away in just 2 seconds.

"Are you ready Merlin?" Morgana asked, a wicked smile on her face. He nodded grimly and they took a few steps away from each other.

Merlin held out his hand and Morgana laughed again (man, what is it with her and this laughing? Merlin thought).

Morgana held out her hand, opened her mouth, and suddenly the door behind her flew open.

XXX

Gwaine didn't really know what he expected to see when he walked in, but it sure wasn't this. Merlin and Morgana were staring at each other with such intense looks on their faces; Morgana's full of hatred and Merlin's a mix of different emotions, none of them good.

They haven't even started fighting yet? Gwaine thought. I thought there were going to at least be some broken windows, fallen stones, flying sparks, something. I guess they must have really had to talk.

"**What **are you doing here?!" Merlin yelled, looking more angry than Gwaine ever thought was possible for that gangly servant.

"For moral support, my friend." Gwaine said, with a happy smile on his face, even though he was feeling anything but. In fact, this once innocent turned powerful servant kind of scared him a bit.

"M-M-Moral support?!" Merlin said, clearly astonished at Gwaine. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to be here?"

"Merlin's right." Morgana said, her signature evil smile plain on her face. "It is very dangerous." And suddenly she threw her hand up and sent a ball of pure energy straight for the knights, flying at them fast. But Merlin was faster.

He shot up his hand and a suddenly a shield, clear with a bluish tinge, flew up between the knights and the energy ball. The ball hit the shield than disappeared, never to be seen again.

Morgana whirled around to face Merlin. "How did you-"

"Whoa." A voice from behind the knights said.

Everyone turned to see Arthur standing in the doorway, looking with wide eyes at the shield Merlin just created.

"Arthur." Merlin said softly, looking at his friend. Morgana took advantage of his distraction and flung a fireball at Merlin. He ducked just in time and it went crashing through the wall of the castle.

"Falling stones, that's more like it." Gwaine said to himself.

Merlin stood up straight and Morgana threw another at him. He swatted it away like it was no problem. She threw another, and another, and Merlin just kept swatting them away, looking none the worse for wear. Morgana, however, looked like she was beginning to tire out.

"What are you doing just standing there?" she yelled. "Fight back you coward, fight back!"

Suddenly something changed in Merlin's expression. He no longer looked like the conflicted, fights-for-good servant; he looked like a powerful, fearless opponent. "You want me to fight back? Ok, I'll fight back."

His eyes flashed gold and a stone as big as a horse dislodged from the wall and flew at Morgana. She muttered a spell and the rock stopped in midair, but far too close for comfort.

Alright, Morgana thought, time to stop playing with my food. I will _not_ let Emrys defeat me again.

Morgana smiled to herself as an idea came to her. She whispered an incantation and the rock broke into a thousand pieces, each piece turning into a sliver of razor sharp glass. She whispered a few more words and the glass turned and started flying straight toward Merlin.

That didn't stop him though. He held up his hand, his eyes flashed gold, and suddenly the slivers of glass formed themselves into a huge dragon. Merlin whispered a few words and the dragon circled itself around Morgana.

She screamed as the razor sharp dragon closed in on her, cutting the sides of her face and body. She threw her hands out and the pieces of glass scattered across the throne room. She looked at Merlin, amazed that a simple serving boy held this much power.

Merlin was standing in what looked like a bubble; clear with a bluish tinge, just like the shield he made for the knights. None of the scattered glass had touched him. He made it vanish with a wave of his hand. Holding two shields at once was a waste of power and besides, Arthur and his knights needed it more than Merlin.

Morgana was starting to get scared, but a little thing like fear wouldn't stop a Priestess of the Old Religion. She held her hands close together and little bolts of lightning started to travel from each hand to the other. She spread her hand wider and wider, making the bolts bigger and the electricity stronger. Then she turned her palms outward towards Merlin and shot two large bolts of lightning straight at him.

Merlin's eyes widened and he ducked and rolled, away from the bolts. Instead of hitting Merlin, the lightening hit the throne in which Merlin had sat on when this whole thing started. The throne burst into flames.

Morgana yelled in frustration and shot another bolt at Merlin. But this time, he was ready. He sent a wave of water over her, extinguishing the lightning.

Merlin held up both hands to perform another spell, and Morgana gasped. When Merlin had rolled away from her lightning, Morgana thought she'd missed him completely. But apparently, he didn't get out of the way fast enough because his entire right arm was burned black. He grimaced whenever he moved his arm. Morgana did not have a lot of time to dwell on this because the water around her feet started to swirl upward until it was all collected around her head. Morgana couldn't breathe. Where ever her head moved, the water moved with it. She put her hands in the water around her hand. She incanted a spell in her mind and an air bubble formed around her mouth and nose. That was all she was able to cover; she was losing strength quickly because of the wounds from the glass. Suddenly Merlin toward the water around her boiling hot, burning her face and neck. She screamed and screamed, but Merlin wouldn't cool it down.

_You're the one who told him to fight back,_ a voice in the back of her head said.

Then suddenly the water evaporated. She looked down at her hands, scarlet from the burns. Then she looked up at Merlin, wondering why he had stopped. He'd had her. He could have finished this. Then she saw the look on his face. Merlin was looking at something behind her, sheer terror in his eyes. She turned around and saw what it was.

The Saxons had arrived.

XXX

Arthur Pendragon was having a very bad day. First he leads his knights on what he thinks is a suicide mission, then they get captured and meet up with his crazy evil sister, then his best friend shows up and reveals a secret that about breaks Arthur apart, and then he decides to go on another suicide mission to save the traitor. Then he sees Morgana and Merlin fight and realizes just how much power his lanky manservant holds in his body. Arthur could not come up with a worse day than this, at least not in his recent memories

It is very rare that Arthur Pendragon gets truly terrified. There were occasions where Arthur could think of no way out, or when he saw something he would never forget. This was one of those rare occasions. Seeing his supposedly innocent, would-never-hurt-a-fly manservant turned into this fierce warrior, chilled Arthur to the bone. Knowing that Merlin held all this power the entire time he was in Camelot made Arthur want to faint from sheer horror.

He watched the fight between Merlin and Morgana grow steadily and steadily more dangerous, and while watching Merlin create that dragon and set it on Morgana, Arthur realized that he didn't know Merlin half as well as he thought he did.

When Merlin was boiling that water with Morgana's head inside it while she was screaming and Merlin was not stopping, it hit Arthur that this was not the Merlin he knew. The Merlin he knew would have stopped this torture, no matter what the consequences. Something had changed Merlin and the only logical explanation was that it was his magic. Magic had made Merlin like this.

Before Arthur could ponder this anymore, Arthur heard a yell behind him. He cursed under his breath. In all this excitement he completely forgot to tell his knights about the Saxons.

Too late now, he thought as his knights turned to see the Saxons enter the corridor that leads to the throne room.

Arthur drew his sword and prepared to fight. His men did the same. The Saxons charged and Arthur and his knights met them with the clang of swords and the clash of shields.

His knights may hate Arthur right now, they might be disappointed in him, but when they were fighting together, none of that mattered. All that mattered was the fighting, the metal against metal. When they were fighting they were One, all past feelings forgotten at the moment.

Arthur was not sure how long the fighting lasted. He fought many opponents, far too many to count. Occasionally, out of the corner of his eye, he would see Merlin and Morgana. They had resumed their fighting and were throwing spells constantly at each other, destroying the throne room in the process. Merlin had gained a gash down the left side of his face and Morgana was having trouble moving because one of her legs was paralyzed. But that was all Arthur could take in before another opponent would meet him, and his fighting would resume.

After a long while, Arthur began to tire and could hardly lift his sword. He saw that his knights were having the same problem. They wouldn't be able to fight much longer.

But still the Saxons kept on coming. There were so many of them, and if Arthur killed one, another would just take their place. Suddenly Arthur found himself with his back pressed against the shield Merlin made. He looked over and saw all his knights next to him, their backs touching the barrier. The Saxons surrounded them.

"We've got you now." One growled, holding his sword up to Arthur's throat.

I'm going to die, Arthur thought. I'm going to die right here by the Saxons, all because I went back to help a traitor.

_That's not true. You went back because Merlin is your friend and no matter what he'd done you couldn't leave him to fend for himself. Also your knights needed your help and you couldn't leave them either._ The voice in the back of Arthur's head said.

At least when I'm dead that voice will finally shut up, Arthur thought.

"Goodbye Arthur Pendragon." The Saxon with the sword to Arthur's throat said. He pulled the sword back and…

dropped it.

"Wh-" Arthur started to say but was silenced when the Saxon yelled, "My lady!"

Arthur whirled around to see Merlin standing over a person in black.

Morgana.

Merlin had killed Morgana.

That thought barely had time to register in Arthur's brain before the shield suddenly came down, Merlin finally losing his concentration.

"Kill him!" Arthur's would-be executioner yelled. The Saxons started running towards Merlin, about trampling Arthur and his knights in the process. They all jumped to their feet, bent on protecting Merlin, but there was no need.

Merlin had both his hands out to his sides and was chanting a spell. At first nothing happened but then, great strands of ivy started growing into the throne room from outside. They wrapped around each Saxon's leg, then his body, and hoisted them into the air. In a few seconds, every Saxon was hanging from the ceiling, imprisoned with long, tough strands of ivy.

That spell must have used up the last of Merlin's energy because right after it was over, Merlin collapsed. He was about to hit the floor but Arthur got there first. He held Merlin in his arms as the servant's breath came in short bursts.

"I didn't mean-I didn't want-"

"Shh, Merlin." Arthur said, not wanting him to waste his energy.

The knights appeared around Arthur and Merlin, looking a bit worse for wear.

"It's alright Merlin." Gwaine said, kneeling beside him. "We'll get you to Gaius's. Everything's going to be okay."

Merlin gave him a weak smile in return.

Suddenly pain radiated through Arthur's body. He screamed in agony and dropped Merlin.

"What happened?" His knights and Merlin asked.

Arthur was in too much pain to answer but he didn't need to. Someone else answered for him.

"He was hit by a ball of pure energy. Causes a person undeniable pain until they are finally allowed to die." Everyone looked over to see Morgana lying on the floor, her hand outstretched. "I told you I wouldn't let you beat me this time Emrys. You won't be my doom, I will be yours."

Arthur keeled over and lay face down on the floor, unmoving.

"You've killed him." Merlin said softly.

Morgana let out a cruel laugh. "Your destiny is no more, Emrys."

"You've killed him!" Merlin said, louder this time.

"Yes I did." Morgana said, quite pleased with herself even though her life was bleeding out every second.

Suddenly Merlin let out a scream. A scream of pure power, a scream of pure magic, and everything was hit by a wave of pure energy.

Then the castle collapsed.

**A/N: Soooo, what do you think? I wasn't completely sure how I did with the magic battle, please let me know what you think. I really love to hear from you guys! Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I now have over 100 followers! Yay! Thank you all so much! I really appreciate that! Do you think you could help me get to 100 reviews? Please? Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite this story. It means so much!**

**I don't know how I feel about this chapter because I don't think it is my best work, but I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I guess you all know by now that I do not own Merlin. I'm completely jealous of those who do.**

Emrys Revealed

Arthur Pendragon was dead.

At least, he thought he was. It was dark and he couldn't feel anything. Wasn't that death?

_Well if you were really dead you wouldn't be thinking now would you? _said the voice in the back of his head, which was starting to sound suspiciously like Merlin.

Suddenly he could hear voices all around him. He wasn't able to make out what they were saying, but they sounded worried.

Must be the spirits of the dead, Arthur thought.

"Arthur! Arthur!" He could make out that one voice and he thought he knew who it was. But no, it couldn't be. These were the spirits of the dead. Guinevere couldn't be dead. She just couldn't.

"Arthur!" the voice said again, louder and clearer this time. "Arthur!"

He opened his eyes.

Sunlight streamed through a window to his right. He saw tables piled with medicine and books all around him. That was all he could take in before he felt arms around him and brown curly hair in his face.

"Arthur." Guinevere breathed, pulling away and looking at her husband with tears in her eyes. "You're alive."

"I'm alive?" Arthur said his voice full of surprise.

"Yes you are. And fitter than ever." He looked to his left to see Gaius standing there, holding a vial of medicine. Something about the way Gaius looked at Arthur scared him. It wasn't his eyebrow of doom look, it was something else. Arthur couldn't quite place what it was.

Now Arthur was able to look around the room. He was in Gaius's chambers, surrounded by Gwen, Gaius, and his knights.

"What-how?" Arthur stuttered, too confused to formulate a full question.

"We don't know Arthur." Gwaine said with his head in his hands. "We don't know anything. One second we were in that godforsaken castle, the next here in Gaius's chambers."

Arthur got a better look at his knights. They were dirty, streaked with sweat, blood, and grime. They looked exactly as they had back in that ruined castle.

"How did we get from there to here?" Arthur asked, finally able to put some of his thoughts together.

"We already told you, we don't know." Elyan said, looking at Arthur with the same look as Gaius. In fact, as Arthur took in each of his knight's expressions, he realized they were all looking at him that way.

Arthur just stared at them for a few seconds, not knowing what to say.

"Well, I had just walked into Gauis's chambers," Gwen said, breaking the awkward silence, "for my sleeping draft, I haven't been sleeping well since you left," she added at Arthur's questioning look, "and suddenly, you all just appeared. Arthur in the bed and the knights on the floor. I rushed over to see if Arthur was okay and Gaius took a look at the knights. I kept calling Arthur's name but he wouldn't wake up, so Gaius stopped talking to the knights and came over to give him some medicine. But before he could, Arthur woke up, and well, I guess you know the rest."

"And the best way for us to help you figure out how you got back here is for you to tell us what happened right before you vanished." Gaius said, ever helpful with his words of wisdom. He still looked at Arthur with the same expression on his face as before.

"I passed out so I'm not really sure," he heard Gwen gasp beside him, not knowing the story of what happened, "but the question that is in the forefront of my mind is _why do you keep staring at me like that, Gaius?"_

The old man took a deep breath. "When I was checking on the knights and Gwen was seeing how you were, the knights told me exactly what happened."

"Everything?" Arthur asked.

"Everything." Gaius answered.

"Then it must come as a great shock to you." Arthur said solemnly.

"Yes, yes it was."

"I'm sorry your ward had been keeping such a secret from you-"

"No, that's not what surprised me. In fact I already knew that bit." At Arthur's look of surprise he said, "You don't live with someone for years and miss something like that. No, what really surprised me was how you reacted. I thought maybe the fact that you and Merlin were such good friends, the fact that knowing him changed you for the better, would have allowed you to give the chance to explain himself. But instead, you assumed the worst. And for that I am gravely disappointed in you Arthur."

Disappointment. That was the look on Gaius's face and the face of his knights. It was very rare that Gaius was disappointed in Arthur. He could be mad, could be frustrated, could be sad, but never disappointed. He had seen the same look on Leon's face earlier-

"What is this about Merlin?" Gwen asked, breaking Arthur out of his reverie.

"Merlin has magic." Arthur said with his head down.

"Magic?" Gwen asked.

"Yes, magic." Arthur said.

"Really?" Gwen said.

Arthur looked up. He didn't see any anger or hurt in her features. Just surprise.

How does everyone else take this so calmly? Arthur thought to himself.

"But he can't be evil." Gwen said confidently.

"Well according to the Princess," Gwaine said, fuming, "having magic automatically makes you evil."

"What?" Gwen said, bewildered. "Please tell me you did not overreact or do something you might regret Arthur Pendragon." Gwen looked at him with an eyebrow that could rival Gaius's.

"He betrayed me. He betrayed Camelot."

"He betray-he betrayed you?!" Gwen said, exasperated at her husband. "_That's_ what you think Arthur. You passed sentence on him before he even got a chance to explain himself. That's what your father would have done. I thought you were better than him. I thought-"

"Can we please continue this lover's spat later?" Percival said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. They could see that sentence coming out of Gwaine's mouth, or Arthur's, but never Percival. The gentle giant looked annoyed.

Wow he's showing more emotion in two minutes than he usually does in one day, Arthur thought.

"I don't know about anybody else," Percival continued, "but I'm still wondering how we got here or how Arthur's actually alive. The sooner we know that, the sooner we can save Merlin."

He had a good point, and the group realized it. Gwen gave Arthur a look that said "We are so finishing this later." and then Gaius spoke up.

"I believe I have an idea as to how you got here and to how Arthur is still alive."

The whole group looked over at him expectantly.

"So you said that Merlin let out a blast of energy, correct?"

The knights nodded but Gwen and Arthur just looked confused.

"When Arthur was shot by Morgana, Merlin kind of went ballistic and shot out energy that knocked all of us down and collapsed the castle. Then everything went black and we suddenly were here." Elyan said to Gwen, and Arthur overheard.

Why would he go ballistic when I was supposedly killed, if he knew I didn't forgive him for having magic? Why would he be sad or angry? Arthur thought.

_Maybe because he's really your friend and you got mad at him for no reason._ Okay, Arthur really needed to learn how to shut that voice up.

"So when Merlin shot out that energy," Gaius continued, "the one thing that was on his mind was he wanted you to be safe. He wanted Arthur to be safe from the energy ball and the knights to be safe for Morgana. When you were hit with that energy, the only thing his magic knew was that Merlin wanted you to be safe, so it transferred you to the place where Merlin felt the safest. As for Arthur, well it is possible that sometimes in great distress, a warlock can produce unimaginable power that can cure things thought incurable, break things thought unbreakable, fix things thought unfixable. That was probably how Arthur was cured from his supposedly fatal hit."

"But what happened to Merlin?" Gwaine asked, almost scared to know the answer. "I know he's not here with us, so where is he?"

"By sending out that bolt of energy, Merlin used the last of his strength, the last of his-" Here Gaius faltered, sadness etched into every line of his old face.

"The last of his what?" Arthur asked, sitting on the edge of the cot.

"The last of his life force." Gaius finished. "I'm sorry Sire, but Merlin is dead."

**A/N: Ohhhh, what will happen next? Send me your guesses! I love hearing what you guys think if you have any comments, questions, concerns, critiques, or random outbursts, I'd love to hear them. Your reviews make my day!**

**So I just started reading "The Story of King Arthur and His Knights" by Howard Pyle, and I was wondering if anyone else has ever read it. If so, tell me your thoughts. If not, you totally should! It's really good so far and is perfect for any Arthurian legend lover. Alright I'll finish my rambling and let you get on with your lives. Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow, thank you guys so much for the great feedback I got for the last chapter! To everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite: You are awesome and I love you! You will find out if Merlin is dead or not during this chapter, so read on!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. Darn.**

Emrys Revealed

For a moment everyone stopped talking. The only noise was the ragged breathing of the chambers occupants.

"D-Dead?" Guinevere asked, choking back a sob.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Gaius answered, tears glistening in his eyes.

And that was when Gwaine lost it.

"Merlin's dead!" Gwaine yelled, his cry full of anguish. "Merlin's dead and gone, and it's all your fault, Princess!" He said, rounding on Arthur. "If you hadn't come back to be the valiant hero, Merlin would have defeated Morgana and not have to use the last of his energy to save your sorry hide."

Arthur wasn't sure if that was entirely true, but didn't think now would be the best time to say that. And even if they weren't true, Gwaine's words still stung. Especially the ones that came next.

"You don't deserve a friend like him." Gwaine said, coming closer to Arthur, his eyes full of hate and rage. "You don't deserve a loyal person like Merlin. One that would throw himself in the flames for you without a moment's thought, someone who would use the last of his life force just to save your sorry life. He's the best friend you've ever had, you said so yourself, and when you learn he has a little thing like magic you cast him aside and leave him to die. Then you think you could just come back to fight the Saxons to help him and everything will be just fine. Well I've got news for you Princess; everything is not fine. You let Merlin die believing you hated him. And now you can't just turn around and be all sad that he's dead because from the way you acted earlier, you don't care about him anymore and could care less if he died."  
Gwaine stopped for a second, and then gave Arthur a look that said he had made his mind up about something.

"And I don't care if you execute me for saying this, but I hate you right now Arthur Pendragon."

And with that Gwaine took his sword from his belt, threw it on the ground, and walked out of the room.

At his departure, the entire room became silent again. After about 2 minutes Gaius broke the silence and said, "He's in great shock. He has a lot of anger boiled up inside of him. He needed to take it out on someone and you were there."

"No, he's right." Arthur said. "I let Merlin die believing I hated him. That betrayal was greater than his having magic."

At Arthur's words Gwen raised her head to look at her husband, wiping away tears. "Arthur, why were you so intent on believing that Merlin was evil, that his magic was cause for concern."

"It's because, well it's because," and suddenly everything that had been bottled up inside Arthur for the past day came streaming out, "it's because everyone I really care about in my life has betrayed me. I thought at least Merlin was loyal, the one true friend I had. When he showed up and revealed his true self, it occurred to me that he might be using his magic for good, especially after what Morgana said about my protector Emrys. But I just-I didn't want to get my hopes up. I didn't want to get my hopes up thinking 'oh, this is one magic user I trust. One who will never betray me.' I didn't want to think that then have my hopes dashed. Magic has taken almost everyone I loved from me. I didn't want it to take Merlin too."

Arthur took a deep breath. There was one other reason he got mad at Merlin, one that he didn't really want to share with his knights. It might make him seem weak, desperate. But seeing the looks on their faces, he realized that they all sensed that there was something more, something he wasn't telling them.

"And the other reason I got mad was the fact that Merlin never told me." Arthur said looking down at his shoes.

Wow, I must seem like such a little kid, he thought.

"I told Merlin everything, I almost never kept secrets from him. And I thought it went both ways. The fact that Merlin never told me something this big and didn't trust me enough to tell me just really hurt."

"Sire," Gaius said, "Merlin trusted you, he really did, but look at the way you acted when you found out. But he did eventually tell you."

"Yeah but that's not the point!" Arthur said, looking up. "When he told me, it wasn't because he trusted me, it wasn't because I was his friend, it was because he _had_ to in that situation. If that had never happened he would have gone on not telling me the biggest part of himself and I would have gone on telling him everything. If he had told me because he wanted to, I would have reacted differently. And I'm sorry."

He said, now addressing everyone in the room, not just Gaius. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I'm sorry I let my petty personal feelings get in the way of something more important. I said some things I never should have and that I will regret for the rest of my life. I treated Merlin, the greatest friend I had, horribly and let him die believing I thought nothing of him. Gwaine may hate me, all of you may hate me, but I assure you, there is no one who hates me more than I do."

Arter a few moments everyone nodded, accepting his apology.

"Elyan, Percival, go find Gwaine." Arthur said, once again adopting his kingly follow-my-orders voice, "Leon, prepare the horses. We are not going to let Merlin be buried under a ruined castle along with his enemy. He will have a proper burial here in Camelot."

If it was anyone else, the knights would not be too keen on the thought of carrying a dead body for miles, but this was Merlin and he meant a lot to all of them.

"Guinevere," Arthur said, turning to his wife, "go see if you can contact Merlin's mother so she can be here for the burial."

Guinevere nodded and kissed her husband before following the knights out the door, closing it behind her.

"Is there anything I can do Sire?" Gaius asked as Arthur turned around to face him.

"Yes there is." Arthur said, taking a deep breath.

"And what is it that I can do for you, Sire?" Gaius said.

"You can make sure you never tell anyone about this."

"About wha-"

But then Gaius got his answer.

Now, it took a lot to really surprise an old man like Gaius. He had seen a lot impossible things in his life, most coming from the all-powerful warlock living under his roof, but this was one of the few times Gaius was really and truly shocked.

He had seen dead men rise from the dead, a giant dragon being defeated by a skinny young boy, an immortal army of hundreds, but few things could compare to seeing Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, crumple to his floor and start sobbing like a little boy.

XXX

The King and his knights had been riding for almost half a day by now. At first they didn't know where to go, having been blindfolded when being brought to the castle, but thankfully they had picked up on the trail the Saxon's had left.

Gwaine still wouldn't talk to Arthur. No matter how many times the king apologized, Gwaine would only ever talk to Elyan or the other knights. Never to Arthur. In fact, he said the only reason that he was actually on this trip was out of respect for Merlin, nothing more. So eventually Arthur stopped trying and they continued to ride in silence.

Arthur wasn't too keen on talking anyway. He still hadn't fully recovered from what happened in Gaius's chambers earlier that day. That was the first time he had cried, really and truly cried, in a long while. He had lost it, and Gaius had been kind and supportive, although Arthur could tell that seeing the King that vulnerable shocked the old man. Arthur just hoped he could hold it together when he actually saw Merlin's body. His knights might never let him live it down.

After a few more hours of riding they started to come across a part of the forest that was vaguely familiar to Arthur. It was the spot where his knights had waited for him and then when he had returned without Merlin, where they had left him.

"We're almost there!" he called back to the group. They urged their horses to go faster as they neared the forest's edge. They broke through the trees and saw a sight that made Arthur's stomach drop.

There in the clearing was the castle. Well, what was left of it.

The castle hadn't just collapsed, it had exploded. There were remnants of the castle scattered far and wide across the field where the fortress used to stand. There were stones, wood, glass, and even metal, but the worst were the bodies.

Dead bodies were scattered all across the clearing. Some had been hit by falling rocks, others stabbed with a piece of glass or metal, but closer to the middle of the field there were those who were the closest to the energy blast. Those bodies looked as though they were torn apart from the inside, blood and bone being unpleasantly visible.

"Wow." The knights and Arthur said, looking at the graveyard of the castle that once held them imprisoned.

"Do you think that was all Merlin's doing?" Elyan asked.

"That would make the most sense." Leon answered.

"The Saxon's were hurting us and he wanted us to be safe." Percival said. "Well, he kept us safe."

"Man, he's one powerful little servant, isn't he?' Gwaine exclaimed.

As for Arthur, he just looked at the scene before him in pure shock, not able to utter a word.

Then he started walking closer to the middle where the throne room was, fearing what he might find, but needing to see it. His knights followed closely behind him.

Arthur saw the tattered leaves of the ivy stalks which had held some of the Saxons up. He was getting closer. Arthur approached the place where Merlin had used the last of his energy.

He's right here, Arthur thought to himself and looked towards the sky. If I look down I'll see the body of my best friend. Can I handle that?

Yes you can, you're Arthur Pendragon. Plus you need to show strength for your knights, even when you feel weak.

So Arthur took a deep breath, looked down, and saw…

Nothing.

No body, no blood, no neckerchief, no nothing. Just a blank space with a rock right next to it.

"He-He's not here." Arthur stuttered.

"What?!" Gwaine yelled beside him. "Someone took his body?! I bet it was some sick Saxon who-"

But Arthur wasn't listening anymore. He just stared at the ground, the ground where his servant was supposed to be laying.

I'm missing something, Arthur thought to himself. Something here is not right. But what is it?

So lost was Arthur in his own thoughts that he didn't hear Gwaine's ranting about how someone took Merlin's body, nor did he register Leon's exclaim of "Morgana's not here either!"

All he could think of, all that existed in his world right now, was this one spot of dirt (the stone floor having been blown away).

Merlin's body was not somewhere else on the field, he knew that. They had checked all the other bodies. So the only other conclusion was…

Arthur lifted up the rock next to the spot where Merlin should have been. Arthur looked down, saw what was under it, and smiled. Properly smiled. Then he laughed. A loud clear laugh.

"Sire, what is so funny?" Leon said, rushing over. He stopped right beside Arthur and looked down.

"Oh my God." Leon said, his expression unreadable. "But how?"

The other knights rushed over to see what they were looking at.

"But they're-" Elyan started.

"footprints." Percival finished.

And so they were. Footprints. One pair of footprints. One Merlin-sized pair of footprints, leading away from the spot where Merlin should have been.

"Now I don't know about all of you," Arthur said, smiling, "but _I'm_ pretty sure dead men can't walk."

**A/N: Let's be honest. Merlin couldn't die even if he tried. Which he has. I hope you guys liked this chapter. It was the longest one so far, can you believe it? Please review and let me know what you think. I'm trying to get 100 reviews so if you could leave one, even a small one, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm glad everyone's so happy with the outcome of the last chapter! Merlin isn't dead! Whoohoo! Also, I know have over 70 reviews! Whoohoo, again! Thank you all for helping me begin to achieve my goal of 100 reviews! To everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite: You guys are my Knights of the Round Table! Yes, you are that awesome.**

**Warning: The beginning of this chapter may be a little confusing, but hopefully it'll make more sense as you read. Just stick with me! If it still doesn't make sense or there's something you're not totally clear on, feel free to PM me and I'll answer any questions you may have. **

**Disclaimer: I think we have now established I do not own Merlin, no matter how badly I want to. (dramatic sigh)**

Emrys Revealed

"On me!" King Arthur Pendragon yelled as the gigantic griffin approached the gates of Camelot.

"Sire, we can't hold it off for much longer." Sir Leon said, taking a fighting stance beside Arthur.

"We'll hold it off as long as we can." Arthur insisted. "We just need to stall it, to give him time."

"To give who time, Sire?" Leon asked.

Arthur opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a deafening roar coming from their left.

The griffin was getting closer.

The Knights of the Round Table ran up to it first, protecting their King. But the griffin gave a huge swing of his claw, and backhanded the knights to the ground. All if Arthur's knights were knocked out and lay motionless on the ground. The King was alone.

Arthur adjusted his lance as the griffin raced toward him.

"Come on, come on." He whispered under his breath. "It's getting closer."

What if he's not here? Arthur thought to himself. What if I'm wrong about this? What if-

I am _not_ wrong, he told to himself to counter those pessimistic thoughts. I wasn't wrong about the Basilisk, I wasn't wrong about the dragon, and I'm not wrong about this. He was there those other times; he will be here this time. I'm sure of it.

And as soon as that thought entered his mind, his spear started glowing blue and Arthur pierced the griffin through its heart. The giant beast dropped down dead.

Arthur quickly scanned the surrounding tree line for a movement, a flash of color, anything. But just like on all those other occasions, he found none.

Arthur dropped his head dejectedly and went to try and rouse his knights.

Eventually they awoke, after a lot of shaking and yelling, and they all headed back through the gates of Camelot.

Their journey up to the citadel was joyous, the townspeople celebrating the defeat of the griffin. The beast had attacked many outlying villages before coming closer to the castle. Arthur and his knights had bravely set out to defeat it, and by returning victorious, had given the people cause for merriment.

But Arthur couldn't take any of their praise in; he had only one thing on his mind. When they entered the castle courtyard, Arthur wasted no time jumping off his horse before running straight for Gaius's chambers.

"Gaius! Gaius!" Arthur yelled, bursting through the door to the physician's chambers and interrupting whatever conversation Guinevere and Gaius were just having.

Whatever it was it can wait, Arthur thought irritably to himself. This is more important.

"Gaius, didn't you say that griffins could only be killed by magic?" he asked to the startled physician.

"Y-Yes." Gaius said, recovering from the King nearly giving him a heart attack.

"Guess what? I killed it!" Arthur exclaimed excitedly.

"Without magic?" Gaius asked.

"No, with magic. Someone enchanted my lance. And I think we both know who it was. There's only one person who is powerful enough to cast that spell effortlessly."

"Merlin." The old man said, hope lighting up his face.

"Yes!" Arthur said, completely ignoring the warning look from Gwen. "I didn't see him but I know he was there. I just know it!"

"Merlin?" they heard a voice say from the stairs leading up to Gaius's extra room. Hunith appeared, looking hopeful for news of her son.

"Yes, Arthur thinks he helped fight off the griffin." Gaius said to her.

"Excuse me," said Gwen in as polite of a voice as she could muster, "I think I need to have a short word with my husband. We'll be back shortly."

With that, Guinevere grabbed Arthur's arm and pulled him out of Gaius's chambers. They walked down a hallway and turned into a spare guest room. Guinevere led Arthur inside and locked the door behind her.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Gwen said, looking madder than Arthur had ever seen her.

"I was telling Gaius and Hunith that I think Merlin is close to Camelot. Maybe he's coming home." Arthur said like it was blatantly obvious.

"And what exactly do you hope to achieve by doing that?" Gwen asked, her hands on her hips.

"I know they care about him and I was just letting them know in case he finally turns up. He's close, I can feel it."

Gwen put her hand in her hands. She stayed like that for a long while. Eventually she looked up and met Arthur's eyes, her own full of sadness.

"Arthur, you just don't understand."

"What don't I understand?" he said, confused about the way she was acting. He thought she'd be happy about this news.

"Arthur, you're disrespecting other people's feelings."

"Disrespecting them? I was doing the exact opposite. I was telling them so they could-"

"So they could what?" Gwen said, resting her hands on her hips again, her voice getting louder. "So they could hope again. So they could hope for the arrival of the one they love most, only to be crushed when he doesn't return."

"He might return-"

"Arthur, Merlin's been gone for over a year now! When will you stop looking for him every time something strange or out of the ordinary happens?"

"But it was magic that killed the griffin!"

"Yes, and it was magic that killed the Basiisk and magic that killed the dragon. And what did you do when you realized that? You rushed right over to Hunith and Gaius to tell them Merlin's coming home. And what happened? Nothing. Nothing happened. Merlin still didn't come home. So they were left with their hopes crushed and tears flowing, waiting for you to come barging in declaring that he's back. Then they allow their hopes to rise again, thinking 'Maybe this time.' And then are left disappointed. Arthur, I love you, but you need to stop this madness."

"I thought you cared about Merlin!" Arthur yelled back, his wife's anger coming as a surprise to him.

"I do care about him!" she yelled, but then closed her eyes and took three deep breaths, one after the other. "I do care about him." she repeated, calmer this time. "I just care about others also. And let's be honest, more bad than good is coming out of your drastic hunt for Merlin. You've lost good soldiers looking in remote forests and distant lands for him. You've given people hope, and then crushed it. I understand that you care about him, I really do, but did you ever think that maybe he doesn't want to be found?"

Arthur sat down on the bed and rubbed his face with his hands. Yes, that thought had occurred to him on more than one occasion.

Guinevere knelt down beside him. "I loved him too, I really did. And I can't believe I'm saying this but," she took a deep breath, "I think it's time for you to let him go."

And with that she stood up, patted him on the back, and walked out of the room, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts.

Arthur could remember that faithful day at the castle clearly, even though it had happened over a year ago. He remembered the elation of finding footprints under that rock, satisfaction in knowing that Merlin was still alive, knowing he could still make things right. That day they had searched everywhere around that ruined castle for any signs of Merlin, but none could be found. They had searched all through the night as well, looking everywhere, but still found nothing. For weeks they had been away from Camelot, looking far and wide for Merlin, but he was nowhere to be found. It was almost as if he had vanished off the face of the Earth.

The knights and their king had returned to Camelot dejected, but not beaten. For the first week after their arrival, Arthur constantly sent out search parties, he himself leaving the castle in the morning and not coming back until after dark. Yet still no sign of the warlock anywhere.

Then came the Basilisk. It was a giant snake, hundreds of feet long, circling around the castle wreaking havoc. Gaius said the only way to beat it was with the use of magic.

Arthur had set out to face it anyway; he had beaten a beast supposedly only beaten by magic before. Or so he had thought at the time. Yet when Arthur finally met the Basilisk, his sword left no mark on it. After mere minutes of useless fighting with the beast, the large snake had him in a death grip. It was slowly squeezing the life out of him. Then suddenly his sword popped up from the ground of its own accord, glowed a strange red color, then stabbed the Basilisk, killing it. That was the first time Arthur knew Merlin was still there.

Then came the evil white dragon, then countless other things, defeated with magic. Arthur would sometimes see the magic, but never the user. Yet he felt sure it was Merlin.

Gaius had finally told the Knights of the Round Table the full story of Merlin's adventures in Camelot. Arthur had been so shocked; he could barely get out of his seat when the story was finished. The one part that hit Arthur the hardest was when Arthur had been bitten by the Questing Beast and Merlin had resorted to drastic measures to save his life. His servant had already cared so much for him and they hadn't even known each other that long yet. It still made Arthur sick to think of how he had repaid him.

He had stopped the no-magic law, allowing sorcerers to roam free in Camelot without fear, and yet Merlin still didn't return. Arthur felt sick with guilt.

But life kept going. More battles to fight, more peace treaties to sign, more magical beasts to die at an unexplained hand.

Gwen was right though. Every time Arthur got an inkling that Merlin was near, he rushed off to tell Gaius and Hunith; who had now moved in with Gaius, wanting to be the first to know if any new thing had been found of her son. And every time they would get their hopes up, thinking Merlin would come home, yet he never did.

Arthur knew that they must hate him. It was his fault really that Merlin didn't think he could show his face in Camelot again. Gwaine still hadn't fully forgiven him yet, creating some tension at the Round Table. The other knights, thankfully, had forgiven Arthur after they had witnessed his efforts to try to win that servant back. But now Arthur agreed with Gwen; maybe Merlin didn't want to be found. That knowledge crushed Arthur.

Maybe I should give up on him, Arthur thought. Maybe it's finally time to let go.

Suddenly the door to the guest chambers flew open and a very out of breath Sir Leon stood in the doorway.

"Oh good, I found you sire. There is someone here to see you."

"Who?" Arthur asked, allowing himself to sound a little hopeful. Maybe I don't have to give up on him after all, Arthur thought excitedly.

"It's a druid." Leon stated.

So much for that, Arthur thought bitterly. But still, druids were magical and they looked up to Emrys. Maybe this druid might know something.

Then Leon said, "He says his name is Mordred."

**A/N: Alright, so letting you know, this story takes place after season 4 but before season 5. I'm so sorry I never mentioned that. So no Mordred isn't a knight, he's still a druid. And there was a one year gap between this chapter and the last, incase that was still confusing to anybody. Again, if you still have questions, feel free to PM me, I'll be glad to answer them. Do you think Gwen was OOC in this chapter? I just wrote her that way because I thought she would finally be at her breaking point after a year of Arthur hurting these people constantly with "news" of Merlin. Please review and help me get to my goal o 100 reviews! I would really appreciate it! Bye and hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it wasn't much action.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: OMG, I am soooooo sorry about the long wait! I had to go on vacation and wasn't able to type and I thought I was going to be able to post chapter 8 before I left but that didn't really work out and on the authors note of the chapter I was going to tell you I was going on vacation but I couldn't so I'm really sorry about the lack of warning. (takes deep breath after long apology) So I hope you can still take time to read and review even thought the wait was longer. Again, I'm really sorry. I guess that's a drawback of doing a cliffanger is that I want to get the chapter up fast for you guys.**

**Anyway, to anyone who reviewed/followed/favorite: Awesome wishes it was as awesome as you guys **** This chapter's really short though because I'm technically still on vacation and not really supposed to be on my computer that much, but I had to post something for you lovely readers. So I hope you enjoy the short chapter!**

Emrys Revealed

"Mordred?" Arthur said. He knew that name from somewhere; he just couldn't put his finger on where.

"Yes, he requests your presence immediately." Sir Leon said, still trying to catch his breath. "He says he has information of great importance."

"Gather the knights and the council." Arthur ordered. "Whatever this kid has to say, it better be important."

Arthur walked out of the guest chambers and journeyed to the throne room. There he took his position at the front, ignoring Gwen's worried gaze, and stared at the young man standing in the middle of the room.

He had untidy brown hair that covered his forehead, and piercing green eyes that stared right at the king, but seemed to take in the entire throne room, as well as its occupants. He had a bleeding cut on the right side of his cheek and was limping from a wound in his left leg.

"Are you Mordred?" Arthur asked, still trying to remember where he had heard that name before.

"You don't remember me, Sire?" the young man asked, and suddenly it all came flooding back to Arthur.

Mordred was the young boy he had helped Morgana rescue from Uther. He had been sentenced to death just for having magic and though Arthur had tried his hardest to convince his father otherwise, Uther was bent on executing the boy. That was the first time Arthur had really seen how cold and ruthless his father could be.

He also remembered Morgana during that time; so kind and caring. Nothing like the beast she was now, if she was even still alive. Not for the first time Arthur wondered whether or not she had survived the castle explosion. She had disappeared just like Merlin and her whereabouts were unknown, just like Merlin's.

Maybe whatever important knowledge Mordred possessed had something to do with Merlin or Morgana.

But before Arthur could say anything Mordred said, "I want to thank you again for saving me when I was just a boy. Without you I would not be standing here today and I want you to know that I, as well as all other druids, are grateful for the kindness you showed me and for now lifting the ban on magic users so we can live freely once again."

This news calmed Arthur quite a bit. Surely this gracious man wouldn't bring any harm to Camelot.

The physician standing in the corner was not so sure.

Gaius had conveniently forgotten to mention anything about Merlin's side of the story concerning Mordred. When he was telling the truth of Merlin's adventures to the knights and the King, he had decided to leave Mordred out of the picture. Gaius had assumed that knowing who was going to kill you in the end was not good for a person, so he had decided not to burden Arthur with that knowledge. He was beginning to regret his decision however when he saw Arthur's defenses relax while listening to the boys' thanks. He should have at least told him to be wary of the druid and not trust him, but now it was too late. For as wise as he was, sometimes Gaius could be a real idiot.

"Mordred," Arthur was speaking again, "you have said that you bring important news. Because of that, I have gathered my council and my knights into this room to listen to what you have to say."

"I was hoping you would do that." Mordred said, his voice sounding strange. Suddenly a glint appeared in his green eyes, showing that trouble was on its way.

"Why would you say that?" Arthur said, now sitting up straight in his throne, extremely wary of the news Mordred was about to bring.

"For you have left your lower town almost completely defenseless." Mordred said.

That was when they heard the screams.

They were coming from the Lower Town; screams of scared people, people running. People dying.

The Knights of the Round Table left their chairs and ran for the doors, only for them to slam shut in their faces, leaving everyone in the throne room trapped.

Arthur looked over to see Mordred's hand raised, staring at the doors. Then he turned around to face Arthur, his eyes the color of liquid gold.

"Why are you doing this?" Arthur said, angry and confused.

Mordred's eyes turned back to green as he said "I'm doing this for my people, for everyone who possesses magic, everyone who has been harmed, executed, or exiled by you or your father."

"But I have allowed magic to be practiced freely, allowed people with magic to live without fear." Arthur protested.

"Live without fear? Live without _fear_?!" Mordred said, his voice getting louder with each word. "You think you could just change the law one day and everyone would be fine with it?"

Arthur had thought that hopefully that would be the case, and for a while, it seemed like it was. For a while until today that is.

"We still live in fear." Mordred went on. "We fear of the time that will surely come, the time when you will change your mind again about magic. You will see one dark deed done with magic and decide that all magic users are evil, just like your father. We are not all evil!"

Could this man be more of a hypocrite? Arthur thought to himself. He sounds just like Morgana. _He sounds just like Morgana!_

No, it couldn't be, Arthur told himself to calm down. There is no way he can know Morgana. No way. Right?

"We need a more permanent solution." Mordred continued, completely unaware of the mental battle going on inside Arthur. "We need someone with magic on the throne, someone who we know will keep us safe no matter what."

"Over my dead body!" Arthur yelled, now approaching Mordred.

"Gladly." The druid said.

**A/N: So what will happen next? Who is Mordred working with? How did he become evil? What will happen to Camelot? To Arthur? And where the hell is Merlin? Leave a review and let me know your predictions and thoughts on this chapter. Again, sorry about the shortness and if it seemed a little rushed. I promise you the quality of the next chapter will be better, I didn't really like this one. I don't know when I'll be able to update again. At the latest it will be a week, but hopefully before then. Hope you enjoyed!**

**P.S.: Do I have any Whovian readers out there? If so, what do you think of the new doctor?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I NOW HAVE OVER 100 REVIEWS THANKS TO YOU AMAZING READERS! THANK YOU SOO MUCH, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! I have returned from vacation so I can start to update quicker like I used to. Yay! I'm sorry if I didn't get to reply to your review. I could reply right now but I thought everyone would much rather me write another chapter. I'll reply this time. Promise. To everyone who followed/favorite/reviewed: Thank you so much, all of you encourage me to keep writing. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Merlin the show never would have ended. So obviously I do not own anything to do with Merlin.**

**Now without further ado, here is chapter 9 of Emrys Revealed.**

Emrys Revealed

Arthur brought up his sword to block Mordred's blow. The druid's injuries had now amazingly disappeared, leaving him in perfect fighting condition.

Must have been part of his clever ruse to get me to trust him, Arthur thought bitterly as he took a swing at Mordred, only to be blocked by the boy's swing.

From all around them came the sound of clashing swords. While Mordred took care of Arthur some of Mordred's followers had come to finish of all the knights

Well, almost all the knights.

Sir Elyan saw his king in danger and abandoned his opponent to go and protect Arthur. He jumped in between Arthur and Mordred and blocked Modred's next blow.

"Elyan, what are you doing!" Arthur yelled.

"Protecting my king!" Elyan yelled back, blocking yet another blow from Mordred.

Mordred smiled evilly at Elyan. "I think I'll dispose of you the same way I will dispose of your king." And with that, Mordred's eyes flashed gold and Elyan's sword flew out of his hand.

Sir Elyan only had time to turn his fearful eyes toward Arthur before Mordred swiped his sword down and cut the knight's head off.

"NO!" Arthur yelled, as Guinevere let out a scream behind him.

"Ahh, yes, I forgot your queen was still here." Mordred said, seemingly unfazed by the gory death he had just caused. "Maybe she'll consent to being my wife after I take the throne. She is very beautiful."

Something was off with what Mordred just said but Arthur couldn't quite figure out what it was. He didn't have much time to dwell on what it was however, because he was soon distracted by Guinevere rushing to her brother's side and throwing a hateful look at Mordred. "I'd rather die." She said, her voice surprisingly not shaking considering the amount of tears running down her cheeks.

Mordred let out an exasperated sigh. "You two, with the dying and the sacrificing and the 'over my dead body'. Get over yourself will you? You can't win this one. We have your kingdom, we have your knights, we have your castle, we have you."

"You don't have Merlin." Arthur said under his breath. Where was that idiot anyway?

"What did you say?" Mordred asked menacingly.

"I said," Arthur answered deciding to lie rather than say nothing, "who's we?"

"Who are you working for?" Arthur elaborated at Mordred's confused expression.

"That's the question isn't it? I honestly don't see why you need to know. You're going to die anyway." Mordred said.

"Well if I'm going to die, no harm will come from me knowing." Arthur said, stalling for time, waiting for Merlin to show up. Because he had to show up.

Right?

"Stalling for time Arthur?" Mordred remarked. "Yes, she said you had a tendency to do that."

At those words, Arthur's blood ran cold. Suddenly, the words spoken over a year ago came flooding back to him.

"_Who Morgana? Who should I ask?" _

"_Shush Arthur. I'm bored of the question game now. I know you're only using it to stall for time. I don't know why though. Camelot's not expecting you to return for days and Merlin won't make it back to alert them." Her eyes glittered menacingly._

"_Now, which one should I hurt first?" She said, walking down the row of knights. "Why don't you choose Arthur?" She turned to look at him._

"_I won't."_

"_Yes, you will." She said, smiling that evil smile of hers._

"_No, I won't."_

"_Awww," she said, cocking her head. "Still stalling for time, aren't we, King Arthur._

"Morgana." Arthur whispered. "You're working for Morgana."

"Enough with the 'for'! I'm not working _for_ anybody!" Mordred yelled, his face suddenly very red.

So this kid does have a weakness, Arthur thought to himself.

"Oh. I think you are." Arthur said, smiling inwardly. Maybe this will be easier than he thought. "She's just using you as her puppet to get what she wants."

"That's not true!" Mordred yelled, but didn't look like he totally believed it.

"Yes it is. She used you, a boy so full of hate just like she is, to help Camelot become weak. She probably doesn't care whether you live or die. Hell, she's probably expecting you to die; locked in a room with Camelot's finest."

"But she was kind to me, even when I was a little boy."

"Yes, and she's using that to her advantage. She knows you already care for her and think that she cares for you. She may have before but now Mordred, now she can't care for anybody."

Mordred looked like he was now on the verge of tears but was trying not to show it.

"It doesn't have to be like this." Arthur continued calmly. He almost had him convinced. "You don't have to be with the vile and evil witch that she is."

He should not have said that.

"How dare you insult her like that!" Mordred yelled, now looking even more murderous than before.

_Nice going you prat,_ the ever-present voice in the back of Arthur's head said.

"You will pay for those words Arthur Pendragon!" Mordred yelled, holding out a knife to throw.

Arthur looked around him and realized that there was no one to help him. His knights were fighting Mordred's, actually Morgana's, knights and Gwen was by her dead brother's side, grieving. Arthur turned back to Mordred. The boy threw the knife but not at Arthur. At Gwen.

"NO!" Arthur yelled for the second time that day.

The knife got closer and closer to Gwen, but never made it. For just as the knife was about to pierce Guinevere's heart it stopped in midair and fell to the ground.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked hopefully. He turned around and his heart almost stopped.

For there stood not Merlin, but Morgana.

XXX

The lady Morgana was having a very good day. She had succeeded in penetrating Camelot using the scheme she had been devising for months, and everything had gone according to plan. She had just walked in the castle unnoticed thanks to the mayhem happening around her. She'd planned to make a spectacular entrance but just as she was standing outside the throne room she heard two voices talking through the orchestra of clashing swords.

That's odd, she thought to herself. I instructed them to fight to the death and to not leave any survivors. No one should be talking.

Using a quick hearing spell Morgause had taught her, she listened to the voices. Her fury grew as the conversation between Arthur and Mordred continued. She had thought Mordred would have finished Arthur off by now, considering the boy's strong hatred of the king and the fact that he had magic_ and_ good fighting skills. And if things couldn't get any worse, Arthur seemed to be successfully convincing the druid that Morgana was just using him. She was, but he didn't need to know that.

Then when Arthur insulted Morgana, the witch let out a sigh of relief. Mordred would never let Arthur stay alive after that. The boy still thought too highly of her. Only when Arthur screamed out "NO!" did Morgana get confused. If it was his own life at stake Arthur would never yell like that.

Hurriedly Morgana opened the throne room doors, completely abandoning the idea of a dramatic entrance. When she saw the knife headed for Gwen and not Arthur, she quickly stopped it, knowing that Gwen's death would ruin her plans.

She relished the fear on Arthur and Gwen's faces when they realized it was her. They had a right to be scared. She was no way she was letting anyone get away this time.

The sound of swords eventually stopped as everyone in the room realized who was standing at the door. They all stopped and stared at her.

Good, Morgana thought. Exactly what I wanted.

She snapped her fingers and suddenly all her knights twisted the arms of the Knight of Camelot that they each were fighting behind their back, taking advantage of their shock at seeing Morgana.

Morgana saw all the council members huddled up in a corner of the room, looking terrified. She'd deal with them later. For now she was only focused on the one Knight of Camelot who wasn't restrained.

King Arthur Pendragon.

He was standing in the middle of the room, across from a furious looking Mordred.

"Hello brother." Morgana said.

"Don't call me that." Arthur said.

"But you are my brother. And I love you dearly." And then she burst out laughing. "I can't even say that with a straight face."

"You used to-"

Morgana held up a finger. "Shush. I will talk to you later."

To her surprise, Arthur stayed silent.

"Mordred," Morgana said, now turning to the druid boy. "when I tell you to kill Arthur, I would like you to kill Arthur. Not Gwen, not Elyan," she had just realized the knight on the ground, "but Arthur."

"I will kill Arthur. A few people just got in the way, that's all. Why are you angry they're dead? I thought you wanted no survivors."

"I wanted no surviving _knights_. Honestly Elyan's death doesn't interfere with anything but Gwen's would have. And I would have liked Arthur to be dead before I got here and that was not done, so I really don't think you are in any position to be questioning me."

"I promise you, I will kill this sorry excuse for a King,"

"Guys I'm standing right here." Arthur said, offended.

"I thought I told you to stay silent!" Morgana said, shooting Arthur a death glare.

"and let you take your rightful place on the throne." Mordred finished.

Something about what Mordred just said didn't seem right but Arthur couldn't figure out what it was.

"Sorry, but the throne's taken."

"I thought I told you to be quiet!" Morgana yelled at Arthur.

Arthur stared at her, dumbfounded. "I-I didn't say anything."

"What?" Morgana said, confused.

"You know, it's actually a lot more comfortable than it looks." came the voice again.

Arthur, Mogana, and Mordred slowly turned to stare at the source of the voice.

There, sitting on the throne looking quite relaxed, sat Merlin.

Again.

**A/N: Like it? I couldn't wait to write that. Again ;) How did everyone like this chapter? I know you all still have a lot of questions and I promise you they will be answered, hopefully in the next chapter, maybe the one after that. Reviews are greatly appreciated! Bye and hope you enjoyed! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello everyone! How's life been? Hopefully pretty good. Anyway, here is chapter 10 (wow, I already have 10 chapters, whoa) of Emrys Revealed. I'm so happy that everyone seemed to like the ending of my last chapter, I was really thrilled with it. To everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed: All of you just make my day and I love you all.**

**Btw: I was kind of in a funny mood when I wrote this, so if some things seem more comical than they should be in a situation of this sort, I'm sorry about that. That's just the way I roll ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin and I am getting tired of these disclaimer things having to remind of that fact constantly.**

Emrys Revealed

"Finally." Arthur said, the same time as Mordred said "What?" and Morgana said "You have _got _to be kidding me?"

"Hello again." Merlin said, quite cheerfully in fact. "How is everyone?"

"We're doing fine." Arthur said sarcastically, not as surprised as he was the first time Merlin had pulled this little charade. That boy certainly did have a thing for thrones. "Just a few hundred knights, a crazed sorcerer, and an insane druid bent on revenge. Nothing we can't handle."

"Really?" Merlin said, raising an eyebrow. "Because it doesn't look like you're doing a very good job."

"I was joking, Merlin. Or are you just that stupid?"

"No, I knew you were joking. It's just fun to see you annoyed."

"Idiot."

"Prat." Merlin smiled his goofy grin after that and Arthur suddenly realized how _good_ it felt to have banter with Merlin again, something he hadn't done in over a year.

"Oh, would you two just shut up for once in your life." Morgana said angrily.

"Right." Merlin said, clapping his hands once and sitting up straight in the throne. "I need to take care of the evil witch. Again."

Suddenly Gwaine's voice came from the back of the room where he was being held by one of Morgana's men, "That's great mate, but could you also take care of the murderous knights, preferably sooner rather than later." Gwaine's voice sounded somewhat strained; thanks to one of Morgana's knights that was holding his arms behind his back very tightly and painfully.

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that." Merlin said sheepishly as he snapped his fingers and his eyes turned gold.

Suddenly all the warriors holding back the Knights of Camelot let go and started walking out the door in a single file line.

"Wh-Stop!" Morgana yelled and her eyes flashed gold. "STOP!"

And yet they did not stop. Morgana's soldiers just kept walking through the door like they didn't have a care in the world.

"Stop! Why won't they stop?" Morgana yelled, turning to face Merlin.

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it's because I'm a thousand times more powerful than you are."

Morgana raised her eyebrows as if to say "Yeah right."

"Ok." Merlin said. "_Maybe_ it's because when you put the spell on the men, I might have put a tiny override charm on them so they respond to me when I'm ordering them to do something."

Morgana looked positively furious at this information.

"Didn't I tell you at the Battle of Demon Falls that I'm always one step ahead of you?" Merlin asked her.

Spell? Override? Battle of Demon Falls? Arthur's mind was filled to the brim with questions and he was going to go absolutely ballistic if he didn't get at least one of them answered soon. Unfortunately, Morgana decided to cut Arthur off when he opened his mouth to ask one, so he had to continue his infuriating silence a little longer.

"Where are they going, then?" Morgana asked impatiently.

Merlin screwed up his face in concentration. "You know, I'm not really sure." He said, sounding surprised at this information.

"Of course you're not sure." Morgana said, throwing her hands in the air and bringing them down to rest on her hips. "Why would you be?"

"At least I'm not a psycho maniac like you." Merlin snapped back.

"You have no right to talk to your queen that way!" came Mordred's voice from behind the throne as he raised his sword up to bring it down on Merlin's head.

"Mordred don't!" Morgana yelled, the same time as Arthur yelled "Merlin, watch out!"

Without even turning around, Merlin raised his hand up, muttered a few words in the Old Religion, and Modred went flying, crashing into the wall to his right

"For future reference," Merlin said looking at Mordred crumpled against the wall, "if you're sneaking up on somebody, try not to completely give away the fact that you are sneaking up on somebody. It kind of defeats the purpose."

Mordred just groaned, and then lay still.

"What do you want?" Morgana said, looking like she wanted to fight Merlin right then and there but knowing she wouldn't win.

"Well, I _want_ you to leave Camelot and never attack her again, and I _want_ you to turn back to the sweet princess you used to be, and I _want_ Arthur to give me a day off, but I know none of those things will ever happen, so I'll just settle for a talk."

What do you mean a day off? Arthur thought to himself. You just had a whole bloody year off! You definitely need to make up for lost time.

"A talk?" Morgana said, clearly confused. "You want a talk."

"Yes I do, because I'm betting our good friend Arthur over there has quite a few questions for you."

"And what about you?" Morgana said, sinisterly. "Do you have any questions for me?"

"I've got a few, but I don't think you could answer any of them."

Before Morgana had a chance to figure out whatever the hell that meant, Arthur said, "Yes, I do have quite a few questions for you Morgana, and you too Merlin! Don't think you're getting out of this one!"

Merlin gave Arthur a look like he was a young child who just got caught trying to sneak cookies from the cookie jar.

Somehow, that did not make Arthur any less angry.

Before Arthur had a chance to rant to Merlin about how it had been over a YEAR, about how much he'd lost to find him, about how many magical beats had attacked Camelot, about the countless number of times Merlin should have been there, about how maybe he was there but nobody believed Arthur, and about a bunch of other stuff, Merlin clapped his hands together. "Well, that's settled then. Let us talk."

XXX

"Interrogate Morgana first, would you Arthur? I'd rather like to get her out of the way before anything else?"

"Merlin! I'm sitting right here!"

"Yeah so?"

Arthur couldn't help but hide a smile. Having Merlin back was greater than he had imagined. He knew he'd missed Merlin badly this past year but he hadn't realized how much so until Merlin was here again. Now Arthur was wondering how he even managed an entire year without him. Not that he would ever admit that.

They; that is Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Gaius, Gwen, and a still-reeling-from-his-failed-sneak-attack Mordred, were sitting at the Round Table ready to "talk", as Merlin put it.

It had taken nearly thirty minutes to get everyone together, make sure the Round Table had come out unscathed from the battle (it had, thankfully), get Morgana restrained (Merlin had put some sort of force field around her), and to make sure all Morgana's knights were gone from Camelot and off to who knows where, according to Merlin.

To some people, thirty minutes may not seem like such a long time, but to Arthur it was more like forever. He needed answers, and he was going to lose it if he didn't get any soon.

"Morgana," Arthur said, turning to his evil half sister, "where are the knights from?"

"Why must I answer you?" She asked, jutting her chin out.

Merlin cut in before Arthur had a chance to slap Morgana in the face, force field or no.

"You must answer him because if you haven't noticed, you are sitting inside a prison cast by the most powerful warlock to walk the Earth who also happens to be your mortal enemy, and you are surrounded by the most skilled knights in all the Five Kingdoms, the most famous King to ever live, and previously mentioned all-powerful warlock. And all you have on your side is a half-conscious psychotic druid boy. I really don't think you are in any position to argue."

Morgana looked like she _did_ want to argue, then must have realized she wasn't going to win and anything that came out of her mouth would just sound stupid.

"I acquired the knights from a good friend of mine." She said.

Everyone was silent, waiting for her to continue.

Silence.

Silence.

"Are you going to answer the question or not?" Gwaine asked from Morgana's left.

"I did answer the question." She said defiantly.

"Are you going to elaborate on your answer?" Gwaine asked, rephrasing his earlier inquiry.

"I wasn't planning on it, no." Morgana said, head held high.

"Morgana." Merlin said threateningly, quite in contrast to his usual bubbly personality.

"Fine." She huffed. "I'll tell you. His name is Vortigern."

"Who?" Arthur asked, never having heard that name in his life.

"His name is Vortigern." Morgana said again, and now hysterical laughter started coming from her mouth. "His name is Vortigern and he will kill you all!" Morgana smiled an insane smile and then suddenly slumped back in her chair, unconscious.

"Wh-" Arthur started to say but then looked over at Merlin to see the warlock with his hand out, pointed at Morgana, his eyes slowly turning from gold to blue.

"What did you do that for?" Gwaine asked. "Yes, it's obvious she's insane but she was going somewhere with this Vortigern thing."

"I knocked her out because, well, I've thought about it for the past few minutes and I've decided that if you want to know what's happened, I'd rather you hear it from me and not her."

"So would I." Arthur agreed.

Merlin smiled shyly at him, and then began his tale.

**A/N: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please stop throwing those metaphorical tomatoes at me for the cliffhanger! I just thought Merlin's tale should have a chapter of it's own. I hope you can understand! And the next chapter may be longer than the others or it may not, I'm not totally sure yet, but if it is then it may take me a little longer than usual to update. But not too much longer, don't worry! So leave me a review to let me know your thoughts on this chapter and what you think Merlin may possibly have gotten into on his year off (at least that's how Arthur put it). Can't wait to hear from you! Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So I have decided to upload Merlin's story as two chapters, thanks to some good advice from TheMightyE, so you readers can read the beginning now. Now I know that technically Merlin is telling this story, I kinda feel weird writing first person for a character I didn't create, so this chapter is written like the rest of the story, from third person. I hope you can understand that. Sorry it took a bit longer to update, I had a busy weekend and couldn't write. Also, this chapter might be a bit boring because not much happens but it does offer quite a few explanations to some questions you might have. I apologize in advance for the lack of action and the fact that this chapter will get a little cheesy. To everyone who reviewed/favorite/followed: Thank you so so so (add about a thousand more so's) much!**

**Disclaimer: Guess what? I do...not own Merlin.**

Emrys Revealed

Merlin slowly opened his eyes and was temporarily blinded by the sunlight coming from above. He could tell he was lying on hard ground, and it seemed as though something large and heavy was resting on his left leg. He tried to open his eyes again and this time was able to keep them open.

He looked to see what was resting on his leg, and found that it was a gigantic rock.

He thought to himself, why would a gigantic rock be on my le-

And then it all came flooding back to him. The castle, the throne, Morgana, the battle, Arthur.

Arthur.

Merlin was suddenly able to feel the full sting of his rejection by his best friend now that he wasn't talking to Morgana or trying not to die. Merlin almost cried out, the feeling inside him was so painful. Arthur hated him, hated what he was. And now he was dead. All because he came back. He must have come back for the knights, not Merlin, and yet the knights wouldn't have been in this castle if not for Merlin.

Maybe I really am a monster after all, Merlin thought.

Then he was distracted again from these thoughts when he heard a sound coming from his right. Merlin lifted his head to see what it was and finally took in his surroundings.

Then he uttered a word that would have made even Sir Gwaine cringe.

Everywhere he looked was total devastation. Rocks and bodies were strewn everywhere and nowhere was there anything that even resembled a castle. The knights were gone and so was Arthur's body.

Merlin briefly wondered if he had teleported by mistake but then saw what had made the sound that originally made him lift his head.

It was a soldier. At least, Merlin thought it was. It seemed as though he was more blood and bone than skin.

Merlin sat up, feeling slightly dizzy but otherwise okay, and pushed the rock off his leg. Well he tried to. When that didn't work he just used magic to move it. Much easier.

He then crawled over to the man and hovered over him. "What happened?"

The soldier tried to open his mouth but it was rather difficult, considering he really didn't have one anymore. He just looked at Merlin with fearful eyes, the only part of his face that was intact, and kept trying to move, causing more of the sounds that had awoken Merlin earlier. Suddenly he stopped and lay still, no longer breathing. Merlin lifted his fingers to close the man's eyes, but when he touched them, the both fell off the man's face and rolled away.

On any other day, that would have made Merlin throw up, but this was not any other day.

Lying next to the soldier was a sword, silver with a red handle. It was the same one that was held to Arthur's throat when Merlin had brought down the barrier. Merlin picked it up and stood. Then he started walking back to where he first awoke. Suddenly he stopped. Something was not right.

Arthur was gone, the knights were gone…

Morgana was gone.

Merlin about had a panic attack. Where could she have gone? Was she near Camelot? Was she _attacking_ Camelot? Was she alive? Was she finally dead? Why was she gone? _How_ was she gone?

Merlin put a hand on his head and took deep breaths to calm himself down. Nothing good will come from him freaking out.

He mentally ran through his options. He needed to find Morgana and make sure she wasn't allowing any harm come to Camelot. Although now that Arthur's dead (Merlin choked back a sob), the throne of Camelot is Morgana's for the taking. Merlin's first priority is Camelot; he needed to keep her safe. Of course he couldn't actually set foot in the kingdom, he wouldn't be allowed, but he could, and would, help from afar. He put a rock over his already made footprints, for some reason not wanting to wipe them away entirely. Then, on foot, he headed off towards Camelot.

He was walking for about five minutes before he realized his energy was draining. And it was draining fast. It was now taking extreme concentration just to put one foot in front of the other. He needed a way to get there faster, but his horse had been lost when the Saxons had first attacked them.

Suddenly he realized: He didn't have a horse, but did have something even better.

And with that, Merlin threw back his head and called up to the heavens.

XXX

Merlin's eyes shot open. The ground underneath him was moving. "Wha-"

"Silence young warlock, you must rest." came an ancient sounding growl from under him.

It was the Great Dragon. He was on the back of the Great Dragon. He was on the back of the Great Dragon _flying_. And he somehow wasn't falling off.

"I-I passed out?" He asked, still trying to get his groggy mind up to speed.

"For someone with such a great destiny Merlin, your lack of wisdom astounds me."

"I do not lack wisdom!" Merlin defensively shot back.

The Great Dragon laughed and his entire body shook, causing Merlin to nearly slide off.

"Watch it!" he yelled, hanging on to a scale for dear life. "And my destiny is over anyway. I failed. Arthur's dead."

"There goes the lack of wisdom again Merlin." The Great Dragon said, in a tone that clearly stated "I know something you don't" or better known as: his normal voice.

Merlin stubbornly stayed silent until it was time to descend.

The Great Dragon promptly landed on the field outside of Camelot, the place where the two had met so many times before. Merlin climbed off his back and put his feet on the ground, swaying slightly from the ride and his massive loss of energy.

"Sit down young warlock. You need to regain your strength." The dragon commanded.

So Merlin sat down on the ground and looked up at the dragon, waiting for him to explain how Merlin's destiny wasn't over.

"Merlin, you're destiny isn't over because the King isn't dead."

"He's not? But how? That was a fatal hit, Morgana should have killed him, how is he-"

"Patience young warlock. Everything will be explained in good time."

"Well, is now a good time because I'm really lacking on patience at the moment."

The dragon sighed but conceded, "When Arthur was killed, you sent out a wave of pure energy. A wave of pure magic. When you did this, you have one thought on your mind. Save. One word. Just one word. But to your magic it spoke volumes. Your magic saved Arthur; it healed him and then transported him, along with his knights, to where you would feel the safest."

"Yes! That's fantastic!" Merlin exclaimed, smiling.

"Don't be so sure young warlock." The Great Dragon said gravely.

Merlin's smile faltered. "Why?"

"It wasn't just the knights and Arthur that your magic saved."

Suddenly it dawned on Merlin. "Morgana." he said.

The Great Dragon nodded. "Again, all your magic knew was 'Save'. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Merlin looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry." he said softly.

"Don't apologize, Merlin. Don't worry, it gets worse." The Great Dragon said.

Merlin had never wanted to punch that reptile in the face more than he did in that moment.

The Great Dragon continued. "Because Morgana already possessed magic, she was able to harness some of the raw magic that exploded out of you at Arthur's supposed 'death'. So by saving her, you healed her of her injuries, transported her to someplace safe, and made her stronger. Ok, now you can apologize."

Merlin gave him a glare, which soon morphed into a look of confusion. "Hold on, there are still a few things that just don't seem right."

"Whatever do you mean young warlock?" The Great Dragon said.

"There are a few things here that just don't add up. First of all, if I transported Morgana to someplace safe, then isn't she where everyone else ended up?" Then Merlin started to hyperventilate. "Did I leave Arthur unprotected with an even stronger Morgana?"

"Young warlock," The Great Dragon tried to interrupt.

"Nobody has me there to help them, everyone's going to die!"

"Young warlock, list-"

"This is all my fault!"

"Young warlock!"

"Oh, what have I done?"

"YOUNG WARLOCK!" The Great Dragon roared. Quite a few birds flew out of the trees around them. "Listen to me!"

Merlin promptly shut up.

"Because Morgana possessed her own magic and now some of yours," Merlin visibly winced, "she was transported to a safe destination of her choosing."

"And where would be Morgana's safest place to be?" Merlin asked, fully expecting a know-it-all "duh" answer from the dragon like usual.

"I don't know." The Great Dragon said solemnly.

"Of course it's-wait what?" Merlin said, clearly shocked that the Great Dragon actually didn't know something for once.

"Don't make me repeat it." The dragon said, glaring at the warlock below him. "Anyway, wasn't there something else that didn't make sense to you?" the dragon added impatiently.

Merlin quickly stopped smiling at the Great Dragon's discomfort and said, "If my magic saved everyone it touched, what about the Saxons I saw, torn from the inside out?"

"Ah, yes, that." The Great Dragon said.

"Yes, _that._" Merlin said, waiting for an answer.

The Great Dragon seemed to gather together his thoughts for a moment, and then said, "Your heart is pure, Merlin. You fight for what's good, for what's right, and you have not allowed your heart to become corrupted by evil, no matter how tempting it may be. And since your heart is pure Merlin, than so is your magic. The hearts of the Saxons were never pure. When your magic touched them it tried to fix them, it tried to save them. Sadly it couldn't and just ended up ripping them apart from the inside out."

Merlin's mouth dropped open. "Wow that's-that's just-wow." Merlin whispered, not quite knowing what to say.

"Yes Merlin, you are quite powerful." The Great Dragon said, noticing Merlin's obvious awe.

"Wait a second." Merlin said, for something else just came to him.

"What else is it, young warlock?" The Great Dragon said impatiently.

"Doesn't Morgana have one of the most evil hearts around? Shouldn't my magic have torn her apart as well?"

"Yes, but because she possessed magic of her own, she was able to stop it, although not quite knowing what she was doing."

"Well this just keeps getting better and better." Merlin said exasperated.

"Oh, and there is something else I forgot to mention." The Great Dragon stated.

"And what is that?" Merlin asked, not really sure if he actually wanted to know.

"Everyone else in Camelot probably thinks that you are now dead."

See, definitely didn't want to know, Merlin said angrily to himself. "Why?" he said, this time out loud.

"When you saved Arthur and sent out that energy, you used the last of your life force. They aren't wrong, you technically were dead."

"I was dead?"

"Yes you were."

"Why am I not anymore?"

"That is because you are more than the son of your mother and your father; you are the son of the Earth as well. You don't just have magic, you _are_ magic. When you died, the magic from the Earth came up and restored you, saving you from failing your destiny. That is why you live young warlock. Because the Earth wishes it."

Merlin smiled widely as he looked up at the dragon. "Thank you for telling me this." Merlin stood up. "Well, I guess it's back to my destiny then." He started walking but then suddenly stopped short. "How will I be able to protect Arthur if he hates me? If he can't even look at me."

"He won't need to look at you." The Great Dragon said cryptically.

"Ok, but it'll be a lot harder to protect Arthur when I'm hiding everywhere."

"You won't be hiding everywhere." The Great Dragon said, still in that cryptic voice of his.

"And why is that?" Merlin asked, ready for the dragon to stop talking in riddles. It really started to grate on your nerves after 5 years.

"Because it is not Camelot you will be journeying to."

"Of course I'll be going to back to Camelot! Why wouldn't-"

"You will be going to find Morgana." The Great Dragon ordered.

"Then who's going to protect Arthur? No, no way." Merlin continued, cutting off the Great Dragon's answer. "I'm going back to Camelot. I'm the dragonlord and you're the dragon. _I_ order _you_, not the other way around. You cannot tell me what to do!" And with that, Merlin turned on his heel and started to walk out of the clearing.

"Haven't I been telling you what to do for 5 years?"

That made Merlin stop short. He slowly turned back around. "Excuse me?"

"Haven't I been telling you what to do for 5 years? I was the one who first told you about your destiny and what to do almost every single time you came to me with a problem. Sometimes, most times, you didn't listen and guess what? I was still right. So I suggest you listen to me now!"

Merlin just stared at him with shocked eyes.

"You are going to find Morgana." The Dragon continued. "She is now even stronger and will probably starting a plan to assault Camelot and this time she will be closer to winning than ever before. You must stop her Merlin, or at least delay her. To do that you must find her. As for Arthur," The Great Dragon said when he saw Merlin's mouth start to open in protest, "he will be protected. By you. By your magic."

"If I'm not there, how can he be protected by my magic?"

"When you were dead for those few seconds, the magic from the Earth came up to restore you. When it did that, some of your magic also seeped into the Earth. Because your magic's purpose was to protect Arthur, that is what it'll do, leaving you a chance to catch Morgana."

"Can't I just order my 'magic in the Earth'" Merlin used his fingers as quotation marks when he said 'magic of the Earth', still not quite believing it, "to defeat Morgana for me?"

"No you cannot." The Great Dragon said.

"Why?" Merlin asked, that seemed to be all he's been asking. He hated feeling so ignorant, so dependent on someone else.

"That is something young warlock, which you cannot know just yet."

Merlin almost yelled in frustration. Why did the dragon have to be so damn cryptic all the time? Merlin supposed he could just order him to talk, but he really hated abusing his power as a dragonlord. So he thought about what the dragon said and finally came to a conclusion.

He looked up at the Great Dragon and said, "Let's go find Morgana."

**A/N: I again apologize for the lack of action and the cheesiness, but the next part of his story will be more exciting. Next chapter will feature Morgana, the Battle of Demon Falls, and an introduction to Vortigern (who is actually a villain from the Arthurian legend, if anyone was wondering). Please review and tell me your thoughts and predictions! I really love to hear from you guys! Bye!**

**P.S.: So I helped my friend KmKizmet come up with the plot of her new story "Reactions of the Idiot King" and the story has turned out really great so far! She writes very well! So if your looking for a new fanfic to read, you should totally check that one out!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Oh my gosh, I am soooooo sorry! You all are probably plotting my death right now for taking so long to post this chapter. I'm really sorry. Now I know you probably don't care, but here are my excuses: 1. I knew what I wanted to do with this chapter but whenever I sat down to write it, the words just wouldn't come out. It was really annoying. 2. School started and I have been slammed with homework and trying to get into the swing of things. 3. I had to catch up on season 4 of Pretty Little Liars and that was taking up a lot of my time. **

**Now I know this is probably going to be really annoying, but I have decided to break up Merlin's story into 3 parts instead of 2. This is because 1. His story is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought, and 2. If you wanted it in 2 parts, who would have had to wait a lot longer for this one and I didn't want to make you wait even longer. And sorry about all the OCs in this chapter, It'll make sense later why they are there.**

**So thank you for all the reviews/follows/favorites, they mean more than you know! And now, finally, the next chapter of Emrys Revealed.**

**Oh, wait, I need I disclaimer. Disclaimer: I could say I own Merlin, but I would be kidding myself. I don't.**

**Ok now,**

Emrys Revealed

After Kilgharrah and Merlin had set off to find Morgana, they had come up with next to nothing. They would get the occasional lead and follow it, but they witch would disappear as soon as they got close. From the rumors Merlin heard, Morgana had been contacting royals of great importance. He didn't know why, but was determined to find out. Then one faithful moment gave him a chance to do just that.

He was riding the Great Dragon (the beast had gotten a lot more comfortable being used as a horse) when he saw bandits attacking royals in the woods. Now Merlin, having nothing else to do and being the incredibly selfless person that he is, told the Great Dragon to fly down so Merlin could save the helpless royals.

The dragon touched the ground a few yards away from the bandits so Merlin could sneak up behind them discreetly. As the warlock approached the clearing where the bandits and the unfortunate royals were, he heard them talking.

"What's a royal like you doing out here with nothing but a squire?" one of the bandits said in a rough, menacing voice.

"N-Nothing. Just please don't hurt us." The noble whimpered.

The bandits laughed at the man's words.

"I will defend my master with my life!" the young squire suddenly said and jumped in front of the noble, only to be shot by an arrow coming from another bandit.

As the squire fell down dead, Merlin decided it was time to make his presence known.

He jumped out from behind the tree that was serving as his hiding spot. "You really shouldn't have done that." He said in his best I-am-the-most-powerful-warlock-in-history-and-you- better-run-for-your-lives voice, but apparently the message didn't really get across because the bandits then burst into hysterical laughter.

"You've got another one, haven't you? Just kill him." The lead bandit said, waving his arm dismissively.

Another outlaw shot an arrow at Merlin, put the warlock put up his hand and stopped the projectile in midair. He then used his hand to turn the arrow around (while it was still floating in midair) and with a golden light shining in his eyes, shot it back at the man with the crossbow. The arrow hit the man's chest and he dropped down dead.

For a moment everything was silent as the rest of the bandits just stared at Merlin. Then they decided to be extremely stupid and charge at the warlock. Not the brightest move they could have made.

The fight was over before it had even begun. Merlin threw half of the bandits against a tree, knocking them out. He lit two on fire, and then prepared to take care of the rest only to realize they had fled in fright. The only other conscious person around was the royal they had been threatening.

The royal slowly stood up from his place on the ground and approached Merlin. He clasped Merlin's hand and said, "Thank you my dear boy."

"It was nothing." Merlin said modestly.

The noble raised his eyebrows. "You shall be rewarded."

"No you don't have-"

"Yes I do, you saved my life. What do you want?"

"Nothing, I-"

"I can give you anything you desire."

"I don't know if you could do that." Merlin said, thinking 'This royal is so full of himself.'

"You really don't know who I am, do you?" the noble asked.

Merlin shook his head.

"I am King Merek of Carthsa."

Merlin blanched. He is a king? Immediately the warlock went into a bow.

"No, no need for that." The king said. "You saved my life even though you had no clue who I was."

"I just saw someone that needed help." Merlin said.

The king smiled. "Tell me son, where is your family? We must tell them what a great deed you have done."

Merlin hung his head. He was an outlaw where he came from. He couldn't afford to be connected to his mother, who was the only true family he had left. "I have no family, sire." He said.

"Then it's settled. You will be part of the royal family. I will take you in as my ward."

"Wh-but that's-you can't-you don't even know me!" Merlin said.

"What's your name?" the king asked.

Merlin knew he couldn't say his real name so he just said the first name that popped into his head. "Colin." he answered. Where did that come from? Merlin thought to himself.

"See. Now I know you." the king said, smiling.

Merlin did not think this was a good basis for a new family at all and said, "But I'm not even from Carthsa." He didn't mention that he had never heard that name before in his life, not wanting to get the king angry.

"No matter." the king said, and started walking back to his carriage.

Ok, this guy is strange, Merlin thought. Suddenly he heard a voice in his head. "_Merlin_"it said.

"Um," he said to the king, who was looking expectant as he waited in the carriage, "I will be right with you, I just have to, uh, check something."

The king nodded and kept smiling.

He sure is a simpleton, Merlin thought to himself as he made his way to the clearing where he left the dragon.

When he got there, the Great Dragon said, "Merlin, this is a golden opportunity. If you are a royal, you get inside the royal news. You may be able to find Morgana easier than before."

"But I wouldn't be able to bring you with me." Merlin protested.

"Yes you would." The dragon said, and then suddenly bestowed a spell onto Merlin. It took Merlin a few seconds to totally process what it was, but when he did he said, "You have got to be kidding me."

A few minutes later Merlin appeared at the king's carriage, accompanied by a dark-skinned, gold eyed man who Merlin said was to be his manservant. The king didn't question this and they went on their merry way.

For the next six months Merlin lived as a royal. His time as a prince-turned-king's servant definitely helped him navigate through those few months. He learned many things involving etiquette, politics, and even sword fighting (not that he needed it). He also saw that everyone else seemed to agree with him in thinking that the king was a simpleton. The kingdom was mostly run by the council, with the king thinking that he was in charge.

Then there was the issue of Morgana. He often heard talk about her but nothing quite specific, until one faithful council meeting.

The kingdom of Carthsa had just received a war threat from another kingdom, one ruled by a man named King Vortigern. They heard he was conspiring with a witch.

"What witch?" Merlin asked, immediately intrigued.

"Her name, I believe, is Morgana." a council member said. "She used to be the ward of King Uther, who once ruled Camelot. Have you heard of the kingdom? It is quite far from here."

Merlin nodded. "Yea, I've heard of it."

The council meeting adjourned with the members telling the king that he should begin to collect allies if there is to be a war.

Right after it was over, Merlin ran to find his servant. He found him in "Colin's" chambers, making the bed.

"Ki," Merlin said, out of breath, "I think we have found Morgana." He then told him what the councilman had said.

The other "man" nodded. "And where did you say King Merek was going to go first to recruit allies?"

"To the kingdom of Knavesmire, ruled by King Hadrian."

The servant nodded his head slowly. "Interesting, very interesting."

"Why's that?" Merlin asked.

"In the vaults of Knavesmire lies a precious jewel. Many a king has tried to lay their hands on it."

"What is so precious about it?"

"It is said that the wearer of the jewel would have great powers."

"Powers like what?" Merlin said eagerly.

"Would you be patient, I'm getting there." the servant said, throwing an annoyed look Merlin's way. The warlock quickly shut his mouth. "Anyway, the jewel possessed great powers. Powers mostly involving fire. It is known as the Fyr jewel. It can cause the ground a hundred miles around the wearer to burst into flames, yet the wearer themselves wouldn't feel a thing. If you wear the Fyr jewel, you can never be burned by any flame. And certain flames this jewel creates can never be quenched, not even by the most powerful spell."

So that was how Merlin ended up running for his life in the Fortress of Knavesmire a week later, while carrying said jewel. The vaults weren't exactly hard to break into, especially if you have magic on your side.

"After him!" yelled a knight to Merlin's right. Merlin took off down a corridor and ran into a spare guest chamber.

"I think he went that way!" he heard another one yell, and all the guards ran right past the door Merlin was behind, and farther into the fortress.

I'll have to thank that knight later for leading them in the completely wrong direction, Merlin thought.

Merlin snuck out of the guest room, looked both ways to make sure no one was coming, then ran off in the direction he came. The direction the guards so rudely cut him off from. He carried the stolen jewel under his arm.

Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching. Quickly he whispered a few words in the Old Religion and the package with the jewel inside shrunk down to fit inside his pocket.

King Merek of Carthsa rounded the corner and saw Merlin standing there. "Ah Colin, my dear boy, I have been looking for you. If we do not hurry we will be late for the feast." And with that, the King turned around and started walking towards the Great Hall, Merlin following closely behind.

When they reached the doors to the Great Hall the king stopped, straightened his crown, and pushed them open. From inside came the cheers of the fellow lords and ladies of the court. Up stood King Hadrian as he greeted his fellow ruler and motioned for Merlin and King Merek to come take their seats beside him at the high table. Merlin took his seat beside King Hadrian and, ignoring a very endearing wink from Princess Alice, motioned for the servant standing behind him to pour him some wine. As he bent over to fill Merlin's cup, the warlock whispered, "Ki, I found the jewel and successfully stole it from the vaults but I think some guards might have seen me."

The dark skinned servant threw him a look, disapproval in his strange golden eyes. But then he nodded as if to say "I'll take care of it", handed the pitcher of wine to another servant, and disappeared out of the Great Hall.

Merlin looked over at the two kings talking and laughing, and the princess eating daintily, occasionally shooting glances at Merlin out of the corner of her eye. All of this, the chatter and the lights and the people, reminded him of a life not so long ago (and yet it seemed ages in the past) where he would stand in the back of the room, casually observing everyone as he performed his duties.

But he stopped himself before he went any further down that train of thought. It only led to bad words and hurt feelings. He couldn't think of that life now, now that he could never return. It almost seemed like a dream to him (key word being _almost_); so much had happened since then.

Suddenly warning bells started to ring throughout the Great Hall, blasting Merlin out of his reverie.

A scared guard ran in through the door at the front. "They are coming!" he yelled. "They are coming!"

King Hadrian immediately stood up and looked like the great king that he was. He started barking orders at everyone, telling them where to hide or where to fight.

"Who's coming?" Merlin asked. Actually it was more like he yelled; he had to be louder than the shrieks and the clatters from around them.

The King Hadrian turned to Merlin. "Colin, bring Princess Alice to safety. There's a secret corridor behind the third tapestry to the right in the west wing."

"But I don't want-" Merlin's protests were drowned out when the king turned to his daughter and said "Darling I will see you later. I promise." Princess Alice nodded gravely and went to stand beside Merlin.

"But couldn't-" and yet again Merlin's protests were drowned out, this time by the king saying, "Save the Princess Colin. There is nothing that is more important to me then her."

At that Merlin nodded, took Princess Alice by the hand, and they both ran out of the Great Hall. As they were about to turn the corner into the west wing, they heard voices. Merlin stopped and pulled the princess into a small alcove and waited to hear what was being said.

**A/N: I now I said more action in this chapter but it was either have action and wait another few weeks, or have this chapter and wait a week or 2 for the action. Now the next chapter I promise will be the last of his story, I know you all are ready to see what Arthur has to say. Unless you are enjoying his story, like me, than kudos to you! Review and let me know what you think and what your predictions are. And yes, you are allowed to rant about how long this took, although the next chapter should be up quicker than this one. **


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